Benefits of Family Involvement

- Students can achieve better grades/ test scores and attendance

- Children from diverse backgrounds achieve when parents and educators work
together
- Increased interaction and discussion between parents and students
- Parents are more likely to help at home with children's learning
- Educators gain higher respect from parents and guardians
- Teachers report an increase in job satisfaction
- Teachers can acquire a better understanding of students culture, background
and overall diversity
- children have better self esteem, are more self disciplined and show higher
aspirations and motivation towards school

'Flipping' parent communication

- Flipped classrooms and meetings enhance instruction and build relationships
- Allows parents to come prepared with questions
- Keep newsletters short (one page)
- Be sensitive to the fact that not all families have access to technology
- Encourage parents to use materials to help spark conversations with their kids
- Be empathetic and flexible since all situations will be different
- Technology is a MAJOR help!!

Rethinking Parent Involvement

- Parents need to be both supportive and active when it comes to their kids
- Teachers have to meet parents halfway
- Teachers need to assess parents needs and get to know them individuality
- To initially get a parent involved do not require them to commit and participare
excessively
- 4 types of parents
- Supportive and active
- Non-supportive but active
- Supportive but not active
- Neither supportive or active

Rethinking Parent​ (​Positive Phone Call Home​)

- Made it a goal to call their students parents with positive news each week.
- Made the difference between unimaginable kids to easy/ good kids (kids want
their parents to get positive calls).
 - Encourages good behavior with students.
- First choice or reward for good behavior
- Creates Strong teacher- student bond

10 Ideas for Engaging Parents

It’s the communication and trust that are key to fostering a students success

1.) Focus on the Positive

2.) Share school experiences
3.) Find common ground
4.) Entice parents in school
5.) Visit parents directly

What do parents want​?

- Personal touch is most enhancing factor in relationship
- Parents prefer to be informed about child’s behavior and approve of in-school
discipline when informed first
- Prefer timely information
- Parents like informal conferences because all they want to know is what is going
on with their child
- The parents want regular and informal verification with the teacher
- Socioeconomic differences between parents and teachers create alienations
- Parents want to be equal in the schoolary of their child

19 Proven Tips to Engage Parents

- Stay positive - Open the door
- Start early (expectations) - Communicate often
- Structure helps in the classroom - Structure helps in the school
- Make room for everyone - Find a skill
- Changes in perspective - Accommodations
- Communication is key - Be specific
- Showcase students - Opportunities to connect
- Workshops - Home visits
- Involve families in learning - Offer food
- Stay connected
Parent and Community Involvement NEA
- NEA = National Education Association
- Epstein’s framework on involvement
- Parenting, volunteering, decision making, communication, learning at
home, collaborating with the community
- Engage more stakeholders by:
- surveys/questionnaires on what parents want out of a teacher
- Provides information on different policies
- NEA believes that there needs to be an emphasis on the role of parents, families,
in community on the student