Family Engagement

Family Engagement is any way that a child's adult caregiver (biological parents, foster parents, siblings, aunt, uncle, grandparents, etc.) effectively supports learning and healthy development at home, at school, and in the community.

Essential Practices of Effective Family Engagement

Building Relationships: Trusting relationships are the foundation of effective home-school partnerships. Relationships have to build respect between home and school. Creating a climate where families feel welcomed and believe that the school staff cares about their children's success leads to powerful partnerships.
Leveraging Strengths: One important goal of family engagement is to help all families grow in their ability to support their child's academic success. All family engagement efforts should begin with taking advantage of the existing expertise of families. The strengths-based approach increases confidence and empowers families to be active, knowledgeable, and informed.
Supporting Learning: Teachers use effective instructional practices in the classroom to help students learn and grow. A school's family engagement efforts should be designed to support these academic and developmental goals. When family engagement is linked to classroom learning, families are empowered to interact with their children at home in ways that support students' academic success.
Working in Groups: Families must be able to reach for each other for support. Successful family engagements intentionally foster peer-to-peer networks among families. In addition to building networks, well-structured group activities reinforce the skills families are learning to apply at home.
Practice & Feedback: For adults to feel sufficiently competent with a new skill, two things are essential - practice and feedback. Confidence with a new skill does not come by watching a demonstration and trying the skill one time. Adults need multiple opportunities to test out a new skill or behavior. Schools must coach and support families as they learn to master the desired skills.

Please make sure to refer back to the Building Assessment Reports for each building when planning for next year. Here were a few suggestions:

Visitor parking designated.
Welcome signs are at the front door and a “Suggestion Box” for parents and adult caregivers.
Information Board - possible items on it: staff pictures and info, lunch menus, school data, PTO info, daycare info, what makes you unique, etc.
Data Wall in view of students, so they can know where they are at and can share with their adult caregivers.
Student work is posted and standards or objectives posted.
Family engagement events are being planned throughout the year with an academic and data focus.

Family Engagement Events

Invitations sent home about the event! (Student-made are the best.)
Name tags and sign-in sheet filled out.
Icebreaker to help the adults get to know each other and network with each other.
Individual data in comparison to class or grade data is shared.
Skill is addressed with caregivers and activity is taught to them to help their child.
Adult caregivers practice the activity by partnering up with another adult while teachers coach and give feedback.
Adult caregivers leave with materials needed to practice at home and the confidence to do it well.
State survey filled out.