Supporting Family Engagement: Tools & Resources to Keep Families Connected
Family engagement is not a single event. It is a shared responsibility in which regular two-way communication insures that the student is on track to meet grade-level requirements.
– Heather Weiss
INTRO
Developing a plan for family engagement may be the first step, but sooner rather than later, you also need to ensure that there are family-friendly tools and resources provided to families to ensure equitable and meaningful access to their students’ learning.
This guide will equip you with lots of tools and resources and ideas to meaningfully and continuously engage families in their children’s learning and development.
OBJECTIVES
- Review the guide’s tools/resources for supporting family engagement
- Reflect on which areas your school already provides meaningful family engagement support and which need improvement
- Brainstorm an improvement plan for providing more effective and meaningful supports to families
This online guide is interactive. Please go directly to the resource page for complete information and access.
The compilation in the guide aims to slim down a suggested list of essential tools to support your school’s family engagement strategy, organized into these subcategories:
- Set Up Structures for Two-Way Communication
- Share Grade-Level Expectations
- Demystify Assessment Data
- Provide Meaningful Math Experiences at Home
- Provide Meaningful Literacy Experiences at Home
- Consider the Big Picture: A Holistic View of Supports
REFLECTION
Questions to Consider:
- What is our district vision for family engagement?
- How do we ensure that families, staff, and students have a voice in establishing this vision?
- How can we ensure communication is parent friendly and truly two-way?
- How is our district addressing challenges such as childcare, English-language proficiency, non-traditional work hours, and access to transportation?
- How can we use the cultural backgrounds of our families to enrich instruction and school climate?
- What might make a family feel unwelcome or uncared for at our school? How can we address this?
- What are we doing to actively build trusting relationships with families?
TIPS
- See the complete digital guide in the provided resource for even more information, guidance, and resources.
Responses