Office of Student and Family Support (SFS)

The Office of Student and Family Support (SFS) works in partnership with educators, schools, students, families, and other agencies and organizations across the Commonwealth to advance the Center for Educational Options and Department's goals and mission. Our programs and initiatives aim to ensure access to high quality, equity focused, and student-centered pre-K–grade 12 education and strengths-based supports.

This work helps advance DESE's Educational Vision, and DESE's Whole Student strategic objective (p.8) in particular. Through this strategic objective, DESE partners with districts, schools, and programs to cultivate systems to support the whole student and foster joyful, healthy, and supportive learning environments so that all students feel valued, connected, nourished, and ready to learn. Focus areas include supporting districts, schools, and programs to feel empowered and prepared to:

• 1.1 Promote students' physical and mental health and wellness in welcoming, affirming, and safe spaces;
• 1.2 Implement multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) that help all students progress academically, with their social emotional and behavioral development, in their physical and mental health and wellbeing, and with a strong sense of belonging and connection.
• 1.3 Develop trusting and authentic partnerships with students and families that elevate their voices and leadership in decision-making, particularly those most historically underserved, and to work in collaboration with communities and partners to support students' success.

Examples of SFS program strategies that cultivate student achievement and success and family and community partnerships:

• creating learning environments that are safe, healthy, and supportive, anti-racist, and culturally responsive and sustaining;
• making data-informed decisions to address opportunity, achievement, and proficiency gaps;
• infusing service-learning, multi-disciplinary, and/or meaningful project-based activities into curricula;
• providing professional development and technical assistance for continuous program development and improvement;
• engaging students and their families/guardians in support of student learning and wellbeing;
• strengthening comprehensive school mental health systems, grounded in multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS);
• supporting smooth transitions between grades and schools; and
• promoting interagency and school/community collaboration.

Unit Programs and Related Initiatives:

• Additional Learning Opportunities
• Early Learning
• Educational Stability
• Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (CHPE)
• Family Engagement
• Partnerships
• Promoting Adolescent Health through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention and Surveillance
• Safe & Healthy Learning Environments
• U.S. Presidential Scholarship Program
• Additional Related Programs & Efforts

Last Updated: April 8, 2025