September 21, 2017

Simple, Streamlined, and Supportive: Engaging Even Reluctant Families

By Bellwether

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This week, Bellwether staff share their perspectives on family and parent engagement. Follow Ahead of the Heard from now until Friday for a series of blog posts that tackle common misconceptions about engaged parents, working with multilingual families, and more. Click here to read other posts in the series thus far.
 
As a parent raising three kids, who at times attended three different schools, the requests for my involvement often felt excessive. Even though I was in a middle-class suburban community with a co-parent who could also participate, I still felt overwhelmed at times.

Photo via author.


Parents and caregivers are busy individuals with competing demands and limited time. It may feel intrusive or even impossible when school leaders ask them to engage in school activities and support their student academically at home. I’ve learned that the best requests for engagement are simple, streamlined, and supportive:
Simple: Families are faced with competing requests for their time and participation. School leaders need to simplify the engagement requests, prioritizing the activities that most impact student achievement and attendance. Communications need to be clear and reflective of how the specific activity will benefit the student. If scheduling a home visit or a school conference yields the best impact on student achievement, make that the single, simple first step.
Streamlined: School administrators often lament that family engagement only occurs when students are involved in sports. Parents who otherwise don’t engage show up regularly for a game or a match. Find a way for that support to flow into parent engagement. Is there a way to deploy staff or other connected parents in relationship building on a sideline or in the bleachers? Can you convert the basketball, soccer, or football fan into an ally for all the school provides, including academics?
Supportive: The primary goal of family engagement is to impact student achievement. What do your teachers need most from your families? If it is checking a student’s homework every night, make that clear to the student and to their families. Family members want to see their students succeed, and may be more open to engagement if their support is directly tied to student success.
Certainly the single parent with one or more kids may experience greater frustration than I did when asked to get involved. While I cannot speak to their experience, the simple, streamlined, and supportive framework can help when family members are reluctant to engage with their student’s school. Whatever path you choose as a teacher or school administrator, your students win when families get (more) involved.

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