Why engagement is important
The more you understand and support parent and family engagement in K-12 education, the greater the connection, trust, and communication between your school and your student’s world will be. The Engagement Unit within the Arkansas Department of Education is in a unique position to support our state's school districts, agency partners, families and communities to engage in meaningful relationship-building in which all voices are equally valued.
Engagement is...
EVERYONE
Engagement values the voices of all students, families, communities, and educators.
You invest time and resources in making it everyone’s job.
All school staff understand the “first face” is a “first friend.”
Your families feel valued.
You take steps to build trust.
EVERYWHERE
Engagement happens in school buildings, but also all across communities.
Your school acknowledges that engagement happens in and out of the building.
Your culture engages every family.
Supports for the whole child are apparent and accessible.
Your community wants to play a role in student success.
EVERYDAY
Engagement is commonplace and ongoing, not just one or two opportunities.
You expect to know each student and family personally.
Your communication is responsive to what families want and need.
You offer ample opportunities for parents to build their capacity.
Your community collaborates toward student success goals.
THOUGHT LEADERS IN FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The U.S. Department of Education
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Overdeck Family Foundation
Dr. Karen Mapp
Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships
Embracing a New Normal: Toward a More Liberatory Approach to Family Engagement
Everyone Wins! The Evidence for Family-School Partnerships and Implications for Practice [Book]
Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher's Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success [Book]
Springboard Collaborative
Family Engagement Lab
Dr. Joyce Epstein
Additional sources
Collaborating to Transform and Improve Education Systems: A Playbook for Family-School Engagement
FASTalk: Activating the Power of Families to Support Mathematics
Dr. Steve Constantino: https://drsteveconstantino.com/
Nathaniel Provencio: https://www.solutiontree.com/community-connections-and-your-plc-at-work.html
https://www.provenprincipalllc.com/