Family Engagement with Schools: Strategies to Build Strong Partnerships

Summary

This video emphasizes the importance of family engagement in supporting student success. It highlights the collaborative relationship between educators, families, and communities, focusing on how family involvement leads to better academic, behavioral, and social-emotional outcomes for students. The video discusses various strategies for active family engagement, including being present in schools, initiating communication with educators, and working together to solve challenges. By fostering strong family-school partnerships, the video shows how this shared responsibility contributes to student empowerment and success, especially within the framework of Virginia's multi-tiered support systems.

Takeaways

• 😀 Family engagement is crucial for student success in school, benefiting academic performance, graduation rates, and future career opportunities.
• 😀 Family engagement involves building authentic, collaborative relationships between parents, students, educators, and the community.
• 😀 The Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports framework (or its equivalent) provides varying levels of support for students, from universal (Tier 1) to intensive (Tier 3).
• 😀 Schools use six key components to guide family engagement practices, which aim to strengthen partnerships and improve student outcomes.
• 😀 Active family involvement, such as attending events and appreciating all school staff, fosters a positive school environment and supports students.
• 😀 Parents should be proactive in reaching out to schools, sharing their hopes, desires, and concerns for their child's education.
• 😀 Fathers are encouraged to actively engage in school activities, showing a positive example for their children and school staff.
• 😀 Families should remain open-minded when engaging with the school system, especially if they've had negative past experiences with education.
• 😀 Parent empowerment comes from understanding school systems, asking questions, and becoming informed about their child's education.
• 😀 Communication between parents and schools should be ongoing and flexible, involving face-to-face interactions as well as digital channels like calls, emails, and texts.
• 😀 Effective collaboration between parents and schools is essential to solve problems and ensure that children get the right level of support, especially for students who need extra help.

Q & A

What is the key to student success, according to the video?

The key to student success is a strong partnership between educators at school and family members at home, which supports the educational process both immediately and in the long term.

What is family engagement, and why is it important?

Family engagement means building authentic, collaborative relationships between parents, family members, the students, and the community. It is crucial because it helps create effective learning environments for all students, leading to better academic, behavioral, and social-emotional outcomes.

How does the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS) framework support students?

VTSS provides distinct levels of support to ensure students' success in various areas: Tier 1 supports all students, Tier 2 provides targeted interventions for students who need help strengthening specific skills, and Tier 3 offers intensive, individualized services for students needing extra support.

What are some tips for families to engage effectively with schools?

Families should be present in the school, show appreciation for all school staff, proactively reach out to share their desires and concerns, and understand that their involvement is important, even if they are the only parent participating in certain events.

How can parents overcome past negative experiences with the school system?

Parents can approach their engagement with an open mind, focusing on ensuring a better educational experience for their child, even if they had negative experiences themselves.

What role does empowerment play in family engagement?

Empowerment comes from families learning how to actively support their children's learning and success. This involves asking questions and seeking more information to better understand their child's education and needs.

What should parents do if they don’t feel welcomed at their child's school?

If parents don’t feel welcomed, they should have a conversation with the school administration, share their concerns, and provide examples of what they are sensing to help improve the school’s culture.

Why is it important for parents to be involved in decision-making at the school?

When parents join committees or participate in decision-making, it ensures that their voices are heard, and they can collaborate with the school to address challenges and find solutions that benefit all students.

How can schools and families collaborate to set meaningful engagement goals?

Schools and families can set engagement goals by using school and student data, along with valuable input from families, to ensure the goals are relevant and reflect the actual needs of the students.

What should families do when their child needs more intensive support (Tier 2 or Tier 3)?

Families should become more involved by attending meetings, communicating with teachers and staff, and ensuring that their child's specific needs are being met with the appropriate supports.