Family engagement within an MTSS is defined as the active and meaningful partnerships that educators build and maintain with students’ families for the purpose of supporting student learning. It embodies the idea that all parties are equally invested in the student’s educational experience and all parties bring knowledge and skills of equal value to the table to work together.

It is important to note that family engagement and family involvement are NOT synonymous. Parents/guardians who attend PTA meetings, sign school paperwork, participate in parent/teacher conferences are certainly involved; however, if they are only receiving information and following the requests of the school policy or personnel that is not considered a meaningful partnership. In a true partnership, families have a voice in decision making, not only for their child but for the regular operations of the school.

Building Family/School Partnerships:

Two items on the Facilitated of Assessment of MTSS - School Level (FAM-S) directly address family engagement within an MTSS. Item 20 specifically addresses the infrastructure that needs to be in place for family and community engagement by:

• including defining it and monitoring it with data

• linking it to goals within an MTSS implementation/school improvement plan

• documenting procedures for facilitating 2-way communication between home/community and school.

The second item on the (FAM-S) that addresses family engagement is item 21. This item addresses active engagement of students, families, and community stakeholders with problem-solving and decision making around Core, Supplemental, and Intensive supports. Specifically, this item challenges school teams to:

• engage students and families that represent the diverse population of the school

• engage students and families in problem solving when their children need additional supports

• provide intensive outreach to unresponsive families

• increase the skills of families to support student learning