An Institute of Education Sciences study of a structured home-visit program in Washington, D.C., found that 9.27% of participating students had a disciplinary incident, compared with 12.22% of matched students who did not receive a visit. Attendance was also slightly higher among the visited group. One study cannot establish that every family-engagement model will produce the same results. It does, however, reinforce a useful principle. Communication may be more effective when schools treat parents as partners whose knowledge of their children can complement classroom expertise.
The challenge is not necessarily a lack of concern at home. Work schedules, transportation, uncertainty about school procedures, and previous experiences can all influence whether a parent feels able to participate. An invitation alone may not remove those obstacles, but practical tools can make involvement feel less abstract. For school and community leaders, that suggests a shift in emphasis. Instead of measuring engagement only through attendance at meetings, they can consider whether families have clear ways to discuss goals, identify strengths, and support learning between formal school interactions.
JoAnn Burl has developed this idea through her book Bridges Between Home and School, a “Digital Safety” initiative connected with DYPSI.com and Taylor Rights. “Every child deserves a bridge between the home that loves them and the school that teaches them,” she explains. Her message is simple: parents do not need formal credentials or ideal circumstances to influence a child’s educational direction.
The initiative centers on Discovering You, a fundraising workbook and implementation framework designed for use at home, in classrooms, and in after-school settings. The workbook includes guided exercises focused on identity, self-reflection, goal planning, mentorship preparation, leadership development, and college and career readiness.
DYPSI’s virtual programming expands this framework through year-round, family-supported learning that allows young people to connect, learn, and grow beyond the boundaries of their own neighborhoods and communities. Through a virtual model, students can participate from different cities, states, and eventually communities around the world, creating opportunities for cultural exchange, shared learning, mentorship, collaboration, and positive peer connection.
Sessions are offered daily from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and include leadership development, digital wellness, financial literacy, storytelling, mentorship, career and life-readiness activities, and practical experiences that help students connect personal growth with future goals. Each year may conclude with a Rite of Passage celebration recognizing the growth, achievements, responsibilities, and milestones of every participating student.
The workbook can also serve as a prevention, engagement, and relationship-building tool for violence interrupters, community leaders, mentors, schools, youth-serving organizations, faith communities, and law-enforcement partners. Its guided activities give trusted adults a structured way to begin meaningful conversations with young people, identify concerns early, strengthen communication, encourage safer decision-making, support conflict resolution, and connect students and families with constructive resources before problems escalate.
Because the program and workbook can be used virtually, these tools are not limited to one school, neighborhood, city, or state. They can support youth and families across the country and around the world, helping young people build positive relationships with peers and trusted adults, learn from different communities and cultures, develop a broader understanding of their opportunities, and recognize that their future can extend far beyond the circumstances immediately around them.
The goal is to create a connected network of young people, families, mentors, and community partners who can learn from one another, share positive strategies, celebrate progress, and help young people develop the confidence, skills, relationships, and support systems they need to move safely toward adulthood.
That breadth reflects Burl’s view that educational readiness extends beyond grades. A student may also need language for describing personal strengths, practice making decisions, and contact with adults who can connect today’s habits with future options. The organization’s proposed Legacy Lab activities, for example, invite young people to interview adults and seniors, turning community memory into a source of reflection. Burl describes DYPSI as part of a broader ecosystem connecting youth programming with Taylor Rights’ civic educational tools, community fundraising, workforce preparation, and job creation. The model is intended to work virtually and through partner locations, including schools, churches, libraries, businesses, law-enforcement partners, and community centers.
Its proposed out-of-school-time component focuses on the hours after classes end, when families may be balancing work with the need for safe, structured activities. DYPSI’s model is designed to keep youth engaged while also creating pathways for mentorship, internships, stipends, youth leadership roles, parent/caregiver support roles, program assistants, facilitators, and other community-based job opportunities.
Burl places particular emphasis on Title I communities. “The greatest resource a Title I school has never been fully funded because it has been sitting in the parking lot at pickup time, waiting to be invited in,” she observes. The line is deliberately provocative, but its practical point is more measured. Schools may be able to expand their support networks by giving families and community members specific, manageable roles.
Her focus on volunteer capacity comes from years of community work. Burl says she was named Volunteer of the Year in 2012. She received the Maryland State Comptroller’s Golden Apple Award in 2012, and in 2017, Montgomery County Public Schools identified her as its Volunteer Champion for Children. She also received the NAACP ACT‑SO Co‑Chair Committee Award in 2017.
Through Taylor Rights, she has expanded her work into donation‑based civic education and low‑cost self‑help resources, while DYPSI focuses on youth and family development. The work is also entering a period of personal transition. Burl plans to mark her July 20 retirement with a virtual celebration on September 26, coinciding with the launch of her new book, Put On The Whole Armor.
She describes retirement not as stepping away, but as stepping deeper into youth programs, senior outreach, family engagement, fundraisers, and civic education. The launch will serve as part of DYPSI’s broader fundraising program, supporting student-centered resources, youth enrichment, student entrepreneurship activities, and the 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. after-school program model.
Bridges Between Home and School is currently available for purchase as part of DYPSI’s developing family-engagement and student-support model. Its long-term impact will need to be measured through participation, student outcomes, family feedback, and community use. However, its core idea is immediately testable: when young people are given structured reflection tools, consistent adult support, and a clear bridge between home, school, and community, they are better positioned to make safer choices, set goals, and prepare for college, career, and life. When schools give families useful tools and a credible invitation to contribute, engagement can become a working relationship rather than an occasional event.
