HISD FACE is now Family and Community Empowerment (previously Engagement). This name change conveys the work FACE has been doing over the past several years of empowering campus leadership, staff, parents, and stakeholders to foster engagement and advance learning across the district. 

This change also aligns with the collective vision of HISD leadership for parents and the community as a whole to be equipped with the right tools and resources to help them make the best decisions for their children.

“Empowerment requires action, and in order to take action, you need to have access to information, resources, and tools,” said Superintendent Richard Carranza. “We are working on creating such access so that our stakeholders can continue to leverage every opportunity to be empowered.”

This same vision is shared by FACE Director Dr. Michelle Burke and the FACE team. She believes that the new name is a natural step for the department, as the work of previous leaders already was focused on empowering families through engagement.

“All our programs and services focus on equipping families to become advocates and partners in providing students the best academic experience both at school and home,” Burke said.

FACE will continue working closely with campuses across the district with the goal of empowering both parents, schools, and the community in order to build and sustain shared partnerships that will  positively impact student learning. This will be done through programs such as Family Friendly Schools, professional development trainings on two-way communication, parent-teacher conference strategies, customer service, and other best practices.