Family Engagement

Family Engagement for Families of Multilingual Learners

The ELD Office supports schools in implementing authentic, high-impact engagement strategies for multilingual families. This includes providing professional development for staff, offering resources to foster welcoming school environments, and guiding schools in creating inclusive family engagement practices aligned with district priorities. Through these efforts, PGCPS continues to promote a culture of collaboration, where schools and multilingual families work together to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive academically and socially.

Benefits of Family Engagement

Strong family engagement creates meaningful connections that benefit students, families, educators, and the wider community. For multilingual families, effective engagement leads to increased confidence in navigating the school system, stronger advocacy for their children, and improved relationships with educators. Research indicates that when families are engaged, students exhibit higher academic achievement, improved attendance, and stronger social-emotional skills. Schools also benefit from improved trust, a positive climate, and greater cultural responsiveness, while communities experience strengthened partnerships and increased opportunities for collective growth and development. Family engagement creates a ripple effect of positive outcomes, fostering shared responsibility and collaboration across all levels of the educational ecosystem.

Multilingual Family Engagement Definition

The Multilingual Family Engagement Steering Committee defines multilingual family engagement as a shared responsibility among schools, families, and communities of multilingual learners. This collaboration supports students' academic success, well-being, language development, and cultural identity. It values the cultural diversity of families and recognizes that being multilingual is a superpower: an asset that enhances learning and strengthens our communities. Engagement includes ongoing communication, access to resources, and recognizing families as natural leaders who advocate for their children and enrich the school community.

Family Involvement vs. Family Engagement

Family involvement often refers to families attending events, volunteering, or participating in school programs, typically in ways determined by the school. Engagement, on the other hand, extends beyond participation to emphasize collaboration and shared decision-making between families and schools. It involves co-creating meaningful learning opportunities, ensuring families have a voice in shaping educational experiences, and recognizing them as experts on their children and critical partners in achieving student success. For multilingual families, the goal is to transition from traditional family involvement to genuine family engagement, which includes the key aspects outlined below.

High-Impact Engagement Strategies on Student Learning

High-impact family engagement strategies focus on strengthening student learning by actively connecting families to academic goals, classroom practices, and student progress. These strategies prioritize linking home and school learning through activities such as sharing data with families, training parents on how to support specific academic skills at home, and involving families in setting goals for their children's success. When families are engaged in learning-focused ways, students achieve greater academic gains, develop better study habits, and show improved motivation.

For more Parent Resources, visit the PGCPS Multilingual Family Engagement website.