A Dorchester-based organization founded in 2014 by Lower Mills resident Ann Walsh and former at-large City Councillor John Connolly, was recently chosen as a participant in the Social Innovation Forum (SIF)’s 2020 Social Innovator Cohort. 

The organization, which has offices in Fields Corner, seeks to foster engagement between educators and families, a mission identified by the co-founders years ago when Walsh served as Connolly’s chief of staff and family liaison at City Hall, where Connolly sat as chair of the City Council’s Education Committee.

Walsh recalled how constituents would often come to her with serious issues related to their child’s school, a situation that motivated her to do something to address the complex rapport between parents and educators.

“When we were in City Hall, we would have people just call us or show up because somebody had told them to come to us because they were having a problem with the school or the district,” said Walsh. “Many of them were feeling like their elected official could help in a way they didn’t feel like the school could or the district could.”

Sensing a need to fill that communication void, Walsh and Connolly proposed a model in which “coaches” would train teachers and give them guidance on navigating the sometimes-difficult conversations that take place between educators and students’ families. They named the organization “1647” for the year the Puritans’ Massachusetts Bay Colony declared that the education of children is a community responsibility, effectively creating the first public school districts in North America. 

Walsh has since taken over as chief of Family Engagement, while Connolly sits on 1647’s board. Under her leadership, the organization has transitioned from a strictly home-visit model, in which team members coach teachers and families in their homes, to a more holistic model in which they work closely with schools and after-school programs, host training workshops for teachers, and provide schools with family engagement strategies.

All these methods, Walsh said, are aimed at the same goal: Developing trust and a respectful, ongoing rapport between parents and teachers.

“People often feel connected to their kid’s teacher, but then not to the system, or don’t feel like they trust the system,” she explained, noting that the education system tends to marginalize families of color and non-English speaking families. “When all the adults in a kid’s life are on the same team, the kid has better outcomes...building trusting relationships is key.”

Christine Vulopas, director of coaching at 1647, explained that activities such as their mindset workshop or cultural sensitivity training try to help teachers navigate the complex partnerships they have with parents of students who may be struggling.

“The most important thing we do is giving educators the space to have those conversations,” she said. “Our roleplaying scenario is great because it gives educators the opportunity to try out language, check their own biases, and approach the process from the family’s point of view.”

Added Walsh: “Most teachers don’t get any training like this; they’re just expected to somehow know. It’s not fair to educators.”

In recent years, 1647 has worked closely with schools in Boston, Milton, Lawrence, Salem, Lynn, and Haverhill, in addition to several after-school programs, including one at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester. Walsh noted that every member on the team — many of whom are based in Dorchester — is currently raising or has raised school-age children, a reality that informs the empathy on which much of their work is based.
“This is a lived experience,” she said.

The organization’s participation in the SIF cohort will provide them support valued at more than $150,000, a boost that has Walsh excited about 1647’s future.

“It will help us a lot in building up organizational capacity,” she said. “The accelerator will give us some consulting around honing our message and model, as well as technical support around graphic design and communication.”

But the moral compass at the heart of the organization will remain the same, said Walsh, who offered a quote, credited to community organizer Lennon Flowers, that she says illustrates their ethos: “Never, ever confuse a person’s capacity with their circumstances.”

To learn more about 1647’s mission, visit 1647families.org.