Giving Compass' Take:

• Getting Smart offers five suggestions for families, teachers, and kids to communicate and collaborate so that they can achieve high levels of engagement in students' learning. 

•  Why is family engagement important for kids early on? How can programs encourage students and parents to be more engaged with teachers and classes?

•  Read about communication tools that can further engagement for families and their children. 

Educational researchers and policymakers have come to realize that family engagement should be a primary rather than peripheral part of teaching and learning. As the spotlight has shifted to the role that families can play in education, many schools are scrambling to identify a starting point for how to invite families into student learning.

A key consideration for schools as they seek to increase family engagement must be how to truly connect the various stakeholders of the school community and sustain those connections over time.

To build a culture of collaborative family engagement, the following are useful practices:

  • Develop and support two-way communication between teachers and parents. Developing effective two-way communication requires several layers. First, consider the best method(s) to reach families. Then, consider ways to encourage parents and families to engage and respond to your communication.
  • Encourage communication among parents. While not directly “family engagement,” engaging families with one another helps to strengthen a school community.
  • Consider parents’ perspectives. In an effort to promote inclusion of all families, and with a special consideration to the families whose children need support the most, regularly assess the impact of whole-school systems and processes on any and all families.
  • Move beyond event-based engagement. School events like Open House, Curriculum Night, or an Arts Showcase. These events can prove much more meaningful, however, when they are reframed as being part of broader conversations and connections between the school and families.
  • Encourage families to engage with their children in ways that are integrated with the overall curriculum. 
  • Find ways to build parents’ knowledge and confidence. Take time to develop the skills of parents and families in your classroom and in your school.

Read the full article about creating collaborative family engagement by Kristen Thorson at Getting Smart