Joni Samples
Dr. Joni Samples is the Chief Academic Officer of Family Friendly Schools. Developing an impressive background that combines prestigious academic credentials with practical service as a lifelong educator, Dr. Joni has served as a superintendent of schools, special education administrator, curriculum and instruction director, CEO for early childhood, coordinator of career and technical programs, and a teacher for regular and special education, as well as university teaching programs. Dr. Joni knows from first hand experience what a difference positive interaction and communication can make in a school system. She utilizes her skills in facilitation and presentation along with her abilities to coach and mentor to create a climate where collaboration can be built and strengthened. Having served in almost every aspect of education from teacher’s aide to superintendent as well as being the mom of four children, she understands all sides of teaching, learning and supporting children’s success. Dr. Joni is a popular keynote speaker and trainer in the area of family engagement. She has authored books about parent involvement in the education of their children. Her interest in parent involvement began with her children-twin sons James and Christopher, and daughters Jennifer and Carolyn. The kids provided her daily learning "ahas" that she translated into a weekly newspaper column. An article about learning fractions came from measuring ingredients to make muffins with Christopher. James' science fair project about rat reproduction resulted in several articles on how to develop a scientific hypothesis and test it out. The popularity of the newspaper column led to Dr. Joni's first book, Taking the Guesswork out of School Success. This book stresses the importance of parent involvement in a child's learning, and shows schools and parents how they can help each other. The Parent Playbook series, books with home-based activities matched to state learning standards, followed. Teachers, preschool to grade eight, have been delighted with the results when parents use the materials at home. Nikki Lleneras, a Parent Playbook fan and first grade teacher from Live Oak Unified School District, was out of her classroom for six weeks. The first thing her kids asked when she returned was, "Can we have our Parent Playbook games for home now?" Evidently, her substitute did not include the home activities in her lesson plans. Engage! Press released Dr. Joni's latest book, The Parent Connection, to rave reviews. The Parent Playbook series has just been revamped matching parent activities to the National Core Standards. When Dr. Joni Samples came on board at FFS, Sam Bartlett former CEO of Family Friendly Schools, had this to say about her: "Dr. Samples puts research into practice and actually shows parents and schools how to do it. Her experience as a teacher and administrator also makes her the perfect practitioner to help school districts implement programs for creating a family engagement culture.”
