Not Just Nice But Necessary: Family Engagement = A Big Bet That’s Paying Off for Kids

CGLR has long advocated that strategies focused on getting parents and caregivers to take part in their children’s learning progress are a “big bet” with the potential to make more than incremental change. Yet recently, “family engagement” has become more of a catchphrase than something that is understood as a demonstrable learning recovery strategy. So in the May 21, 2024, CGLR took the opportunity to explore exactly how various family engagement strategies have led to measurable results for students, including increased attendance and other many other outcomes.

Moderator and family engagement leader Kwesi Rollins of the Institute for Educational Leadership introduced the discussion by asking his longtime colleagues and national leaders Vito Borrello of the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) and Yolie Flores of Families In Schools about the national landscape and what they have seen in terms of models and approaches that lead to families taking action for their children’s learning progress. Both experts agreed that building relational trust is a foundation for all other strategies and that educators need to first commit to understanding familial context. Capturing this idea, Borrello stated:

Imagine if family engagement started with teachers understanding their students through the lens of a family. We talk about all these tactics, parent-teacher conferences, going to various events, better understanding report cards. But if the first thing that a teacher did before the school year began was to meet a family with the sole opportunity to better understand their future student through the lens of their family, imagine how that communicates respect, how that would be building trust, and, beyond that, how it improves teacher quality. Because if a teacher better understands that knowledge of a student and student learning, they’re able to be a far better educator for that student in ways that will be profoundly impactful in their future.

Rollins then engaged with a stellar group of state, district and community leaders who spoke about their notable partnerships and innovative approaches to family engagement, including home visits, text messaging, parent ambassador programs and more. Emily Garcia of the Flamboyan Foundation with Sarah Parker of District of Columbia Public Schools, Roxanne Saldaña Jones of the United Way of Texas with Kierstan Schwab of Texas PBS and Lisa Levasseur of Elk Grove Unified School District in California discussed their “on-the-ground” work leading to families taking specific actions in support of their children’s learning. We also had the special opportunity to learn directly from a parent. Shareeda Jones, Flamboyan Parent Ambassador, shared one of the most memorable quotes of the session when she said:

Us as parents, it’s not like we do not want to help. We don’t really understand how to help. And the point of even asking for help is hard. I always use this [metaphor] and say that without family engagement, [supporting our children’s learning] is like lotion that you buy from a dollar store. You have to apply it multiple times [to get any result]. But with family engagement, it’s like that good, thick Vaseline lotion. It keeps you shiny, it works and you don’t have to keep applying it when you do it the correct way.