Giving Compass' Take:

• A report from the Global Family Research Project discusses five ways that parent engagement in children's education can have positive effects on student academic achievement and performance. 

• In what ways can schools promote parent engagement rather than obstruct it? How can educators and administrators create stronger bonds of trust within the surrounding community?

• Read about communication tips and tools to help foster parent engagement. 

There’s a pervasive, but false, myth that families from low-income households are less engaged in their children’s education than wealthier, white families, said Heather Weiss, director of the Global Family Research Project and author of a new report on family engagement for the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

This erroneous belief can lead schools not to try to engage families, which is a lost opportunity, as research shows family engagement can increase student achievement and boost graduation rates — especially for children in low-income households.

“It’s very clear that family engagement is a shared responsibility,” Weiss said. “Families have a responsibility to engage, and us — meaning the institutions, community organizations, and others — have the responsibility to create the conditions that enable them to engage.”

Here are five areas the report recommends:

  • Attendance: Some schools send text messages to parents, letting them know when their children are not in class. For example, one study found that family engagement was a major factor in improved student performance in math and reading in Chicago Public Schools.
  • Data sharing: Schools should make student data shareable, accessible, and understandable for families, rather than filled with jargon or confusing language.
  • Academic and social development: Parents should be viewed as co-teachers in their children’s academic development.
  •  Digital media: Parents should be seen as agents to help their children learn safe and smart digital media skills. They can talk to their kids about how to identify factual information and be safe on social media.
  • Transitions: Transition times, such as the periods between elementary, middle, and high school, are important for re-engaging families, especially because family engagement typically decreases as children get older.

Read the full article about parent engagement by Kate Stringer at The 74