Family Engagement Within Our School

Written by Barbara Johnson, Education Consultant

​Now more than ever, a strong home-school connection is essential to the education of the child, valuable for the family and beneficial to the school. Schools and families make a high priority of frequent communications and in-person and virtual meetings and activities. All parties are called on to dedicate more time and effort to engage fully and to become true partners. The result of these partnerships has proven extremely successful and enriching as shown through multiple studies.  

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​Parents and caregivers who actively engage in school are empowered to provide support and resources to boost their children’s academic success and S.E.L. Their regular exchanges with teachers contribute to a clearer understanding of curricula and expectations. In turn, teachers learn about students’ background knowledge, behaviors, and needs. Such relationships inspire more productive interactions in school and more purposeful conversations and activities outside of school that stimulate and enhance learning and social and emotional development. Fostered by school administrations, a strong Family and Community Engagement Framework can establish and cultivate the sense of community in which all can address common concerns and interests.

​Creating a framework for family and community engagement is the shared responsibility of the school, faculty, families, community, and students. The following are sample points to consider in building a program.

THE SCHOOL
1. Infrastructure

• Form a committee to plan and execute events.  Staff, teachers, and parents and guardians should be represented.
  
• Prepare the school to reflect “Welcome” with clear, inviting signs from the entrance forward. Re-enforce that sentiment with friendly greetings and offers of assistance from the staff in the parking lot and/or entrance to the school.  After the student’s parent or caregiver has registered where indicated and the purpose of the visit established, have a staff member accompany the visitor to the destination. 
  
• Dedicate a space, no matter how small, in the building for parents and guardians. Create a shelf of materials for them.  Include calendars of school events, safety information, circulars, and library books for them to check-out (e.g., fiction and nonfiction books about content in the curriculum, parenting books, “how-to” books to supplement knowledge on navigating through software students may be using, rule books on sports, games, or other extra-curricular activities.) If space is allowed, place a library table and chairs, computer, water bottles, etc. Post sign-up sheets soliciting volunteers for events.

2. Communications

• Use your school and class-dedicated electronic vehicles and others commonly used by families in the community.
• Do not abandon print and oral communications via students, the P.T.A., the athletic department, et al.
• Collaborate with the P.T.A./O. and special interest groups.
• To pass the word and “campaign” for the school, identify and accept help from key adults and students active in your FACE (Family and Community Engagement) program.  At each event, announce the next. 
• Ask for suggestions for the program and feed-back on events, allowing easy input from all parties concerned. 
• Make pertinent print handouts available, including links to information online.

3. Personnel 

• Form a committee of faculty and family members to collaborate on planning, managing and operating projects.  Include key contacts from the P.T.A./O. Have permanent and ad hoc committee volunteers. For events with athletic components, recruit from the school’s athletic department, and faculty sponsors of special interest clubs such as the chess club et al. Open committees to community volunteers where helpful, for example: for a program on the environment, invite the town’s expert on the topic.
  
• Hold training sessions for volunteers, teachers, and school staff.
  
• Appoint someone to monitor the family portal on the school website daily and to triage posts for timely responses.

4. Meetings and Events

• Adult and student-attended events.
  
• Adults-only meetings. Provide a separate, chaperoned activity room to engage children during the meeting.  In schoolwide and class gatherings for adults-only open forums are often the centerpiece.  Break-out sessions where adults can participate, hands-on, in an activity their children might have in class are most successful.  
  
• Vary themes for events throughout the year (e.g., literacy, math, science, extra-curricular opportunities)

THE CLASSROOM 
1. Communications

• Encourage students to share school and classroom experiences with family members and family members to be active participants in the exchange.
  
• For other messages, make use of the vehicles that have been most successful.  This may be school software dedicated to home-schooling communication, text messaging, e-mails, or telephone calls.
  
• Send home bulletins and informational notes to the parents/caregivers about their children and notes of encouragement. Remind them they are the first and most important teachers of their children. Always allow for their input. 
  
• Promote regular visits to the school and class web sites.
  
• Reinforce messages sent by the school to the home, adding any points relating particularly to the students’ grade and/or class.  
  
• Remind families of regular teacher conferences scheduled by the school or the classroom and invite parents and caregivers to visit with the teacher privately in-person, virtually or by telephone. Where appropriate and approved, home visits may be helpful.

2. Events and Meetings

• Hold open-house, general meetings, round table discussions and breakout sessions.
  
• Share specific tips for at-home practices attendees can implement immediately.

3. Suggestions for Content

• Explain progress-monitoring.
  
• Tutor families on programs their students use.
  
• Execute a typical lesson.
  
• Q&A (e.g., “What do I do when my child loses interest ___________?”)

4. Debrief and evaluate.

Open doors lead to open hearts and minds!