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Karen L. Mapp

Professor of Practice at Harvard University

Major works

Dr. Mapp is the author and co-author of several articles and books about the impact and development of effective family and community engagement practice including: A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement(2002); Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships(2010); A Match on Dry Grass: Community Organizing as a Catalyst for School Reform(2011); Partners in Education: A Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (2014); Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success (2017), Embracing a New Normal: Toward a More Liberatory Approach to Family Engagement (2021), and Everyone Wins!: The Evidence for Family-School Partnerships & Implications for Practice (2022).

About me

Karen L. Mapp, EdD, is a Professor of Practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Dr. Mapp’s research and practice focus has been on the cultivation of partnerships among families, community members and educators that support success for all students as well as school and district improvement.

Dr. Mapp holds a Doctorate and Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Master’s in Counselor Education from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Trinity College in Hartford, CT.

Dr. Mapp is a founding member of the District Leaders Network on Family and Community Engagement and serves on the board of the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) and The Hyams Foundation. From 2011 to 2013, she served as a consultant on family and community engagement to the United States Department of Education in the Office of Innovation and Improvement.

Courses and Programs taught by Karen L. Mapp