October 21, 2025 • 34 mins
Parents don’t just want updates; we want a seat at the table. This episode explores how to move beyond volunteer hours and sign-up sheets to real partnership—where families, teachers, and schools build trust, share responsibility, and help kids thrive in reading, language, and math. I break down the difference between parent involvement and parent engagement, explain why two-way communication matters more than polished newsletters, and share practical ways to set clear expectations at back-to-school meetings so everyone starts aligned.
I walk through five strategies any school can implement to welcome families. You’ll also hear a powerful Detroit-area case study showing how a community school model—with onsite health services, food support, and a parent resource room—boosted enrollment, lifted reading growth, and pushed parent-teacher conference rates to 98 percent. The message is simple: reduce barriers, build trust, and learning time increases.
I also address a missing link in teacher preparation: family engagement training. Too many educators graduate without the skills to partner with caregivers, which is why districts must make engagement systemic, accessible, and responsive to culture and schedules. To help you act now, I share 10 concrete parent moves—from daily reading talks and consistent study routines to respectful, steady communication with teachers—that build confidence and achievement over time. Ready to turn school-home contact into a true partnership? Listen, share your experience, and help us grow a community where every family has a voice.
If this conversation resonates, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with one friend who cares about stronger parent engagement and school-home partnerships. Your story could spark someone else’s next step.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:36):
Welcome to another episode of K-12 Public Education
Insights, Empowering Parents ofColor Podcast.
The podcast that converges atthe intersection of educational
research and parental actions.
It's about making the trends,topics, and theories in public
(01:00):
education understandable so thatyou can implement them into
practical, actionable strategiesthat work for your children.
My name is Dr.
Kim J.
Fields, former corporatemanager, turned education
researcher, and advocate, andI'm the host of this podcast.
(01:22):
I got into this space afterdealing with some frustrating
interactions with schooleducators and administrators, as
well as experiencing themicroaggressions that I faced as
an African-American mom raisingmy two kids who were in the
public school system.
I really wanted to understandhow teachers were trained and
(01:46):
what the research provided aboutthe challenges of the public
education system.
Once I gained the informationand the insights that I needed,
I was then equipped to be ableto successfully support my
children in their educationalprogress.
This battle-tested experience iswhat I provide as action steps
(02:11):
for you to take.
It's like enjoying a bowl ofeducational research with a
sprinkling of motherwit wisdomon top.
If you're looking to find outmore about the current
information and issues ineducation that could affect you
or your children, and the actionsteps you can take to give your
(02:36):
children the advantages theyneed, then you're in the right
place.
Thanks for tuning in today.
I know that staying informedabout K-12 public education
trends and topics is importantto you, so keep listening.
Give me 30 minutes or less, andI'll provide insights on the
(03:00):
latest trends, issues, andtopics pertaining to this
constantly evolving K-12 publiceducation environment.
Are you involved in yourchildren's schools or are you
engaged with their schools?
There is a difference.
(03:22):
Communication and trust are key.
Effective parent educatorcommunication is crucial for a
successful school year for thestudent, the parents or
caregivers, and the teacher.
Strong parent communicationensures that both parents and
(03:44):
teachers collaborate as a teamthroughout the school year for
the child's best interest.
The bottom line is that you wantto have peace of mind that your
children are in good hands whenthey are sent to school, and
establishing an effectivecommunication system that
(04:06):
includes positives and areas ofimprovement for your child is
key to ensuring a successfulschool year.
I discuss what effectiveparent-teacher communication is,
the difference between parentinvolvement and parent
engagement, as well as thebenefits of parent engagement
(04:29):
for enhancing your child'sacademic success in this
episode.
I also provide recommendationsfor ways to build parent
engagement and support for yourchild to be successful in
school.
Let's gain some insight on this.
(04:50):
Schools should make it easy forfamilies to receive, consume,
and respond to the messages theysend out via their
communications platforms.
The easier it is for parents toreceive notifications via email,
app, voice, or text.
(05:12):
The more parents will appreciatethe updates.
Teachers should setcommunication expectations with
parents at a back-to-schoolconference.
At that conference, the teachermeets with families one-on-one
and discusses expectations atschool as well as their
preferred communication styles.
(05:34):
It's important to remember thatthe relationship between
teachers and parents is one oftrust.
Parents trust that the teacheris highly qualified to manage
the classroom and teach therequired content for that grade
level.
Teachers trust the parents toshare their questions or
(05:55):
concerns about their children ina respectful, receptive manner.
Fundamentally, a school can haveperfect parent and family
engagement.
All it takes is a commitment tobuilding trusting relationships
with families regardless oftheir circumstances.
(06:17):
These are the five suggestionsevery school should consider
when looking to improve familyengagement.
One, meet families where theyare.
This could involve home visitsin which teachers meet with
parents at their homes or alocal park or community facility
(06:38):
to get to know the family,understand their expectations,
and commit to being partners.
It's not about identifyingproblems at this stage.
It's more about makingconnections.
Two, make space for parents inschool buildings.
(07:01):
This involves creating adesignated space for families,
such as a parent resource roomwhere they can meet with
teachers or meet other parents.
If there isn't room for adedicated space for parents,
schools can implement an opendoor policy for families, which
allows families to visit duringthe school day.
(07:24):
3.
Maintain a focus on academicachievement.
Schools can use events toprovide parents with lists of
at-home activities they can dowith their children to help with
certain subjects such as readingand math.
In this way, parent events are agreat way to get parents
(07:47):
familiar and comfortable withschool and incorporate student
learning.
Bring in community and culturalpartners.
At a minimum, schools shouldtranslate communications into
parents' native language.
Schools can also partner withreligious organizations,
(08:10):
universities, and communitygroups to provide resources and
host events for families thatreflect their cultures and
community.
And five, use technology as atool, not a crutch.
Tools such as Class Dojo,Seesaw, and Zoom can allow
(08:34):
teachers to meet parents wherethey are and give parents an
inside look at the classroom aswell as build two-way
communication.
Schools need to ensure, though,that technology does not replace
in-person connections.
Parents should be treated asfull partners in their
(08:58):
children's education and nottaken for granted you can become
transformational advocates foryour children when you are
empowered with the rightresources and knowledge.
Research shows that the moreparents that engage and are
engaged, the greater theacademic success of the
(09:20):
children.
Sometimes parent engagementtraining is needed.
Training could focus oneducating parents on the
educational jargon that's usedin schools, as well as how to
navigate the school system andto help uninvolved parents in
the school find ways to becomeinvolved.
(09:42):
The training could alsoincorporate how to facilitate
productive conversations withpeople from different
backgrounds, learning styles,and reasons why they want to
become more engaged in theirchild's school.
If you want to learn more aboutparent engagement training,
(10:02):
check out the Governor'sCommonwealth Institute for
Parent Leadership atPritchardcommittee.org forward
slash Commonwealth Institute forParent Leadership.
Over ninety percent of today'sparents have smartphones, but
(10:23):
only 20% are fully engaged withtheir children's schools.
Can educators bridge the gap?
Absolutely.
And most times it involvestechnology.
We need to recognize that notall families can volunteer at
(10:44):
school or have the confidencethat they have something to
offer.
Therefore, it may be necessaryto redefine engagement to
include meeting with the teacheror administrator to learn about
how the student is doing inschool, reading to the student
at night, going over homeworkassignments, or attending a
(11:05):
school-wide event or meeting.
This level of engagement can betracked, and teachers and school
administrators can encourageparents to engage in different
types of school participation.
They can set a baselineexpectation of one hour per week
and then watch the hoursaccumulate through a visible
(11:26):
tracking system that'scommunicated to the community.
Prioritizing engagement inschools could be a theme in
meetings with the community,inner faith, and business
leaders.
Establishing the benefits to thecommunity at large can help to
generate a gravitational pulltowards the school if for no
(11:49):
other reason than self-interestin an economically stable
community.
The obvious benefits of parentalengagement include parents being
aware of what's taking place atthe school and getting involved,
parents having a betterunderstanding where their
children may struggle, not justhearing it secondhand, at a
(12:13):
teacher conference, betterattendance and participation for
children who follow theenthusiasm and good example of
their parents, and parent-childbonding over a common goal.
Has your child school utilizedtechnology to help keep you
(12:34):
engaged with the school and yourchild's progress?
Tools like Parent Square, SchoolMessenger, and Class Tag are
apps that help schools engageparents in their community and
improve the quality of familysupport in education.
(12:56):
There's a continuum that extendsfrom parent involvement to
parent engagement.
Parent involvement is more likedoing to, and parent engagement
is more like doing with.
Parent engagement could looklike making home visits to
families before or near thestart of school year so that the
(13:20):
focus is on buildingrelationships instead of talking
about problems.
In this way, parents andteachers help create trust.
Teachers are looking at parentsas the experts on their children
and look forward tounderstanding what's needed to
help the child succeed.
(13:40):
Parents can tell teachers aboutwhen the child seems most
excited about attending school,how the child spends free time,
and what past teachers have doneto successfully connect with
their child.
If schools are recognized asneighborhood institutions that
(14:00):
have a responsibility for whatgoes on inside of their four
walls, they can look outward atthe challenges facing the
families they serve.
Social capitalism is a term usedto describe human connections
that are created out of thesetypes of interactions.
(14:22):
Urban schools are notorious forhaving low parental engagement.
However, with effectivementoring and modeling high
expectations for parentengagement, benefits to the
parent and the child arenoticeable.
Many parents in urbancommunities don't become engaged
in their child's educationbecause the school has not
(14:45):
invited them to become involvedor has failed to create a
welcoming environment.
The school staff andadministration must
intentionally create anenvironment that tells parents
they are welcome.
It's critical that the initialcommunication between school and
(15:06):
home be positive.
When parents physically show upat school, the red carpet should
be rolled out and they should betreated in the most professional
and courteous fashion.
Considering that many parentsmay hardly ever be able to
attend school during the timewhen school is in session, it's
critical that parents be invitedto get engaged by serving on
(15:29):
committees, focus groups,completing surveys, volunteering
for events and activities,chaperone field trips, and more.
Parent involvement can bedefined as the amount of time
parents volunteer at the school,while parent engagement is the
amount of support,communication, respect, and
(15:53):
commitment that parentsdemonstrate in their child's
schooling.
A student's behavior andattendance are strongly
correlated with parentalengagement, and the likelihood
of high student achievementfollows closely behind.
Parent engagement involvesseeing the school as a community
(16:17):
school, a model that brings intothe school a range of
non-academic services to meetstudents and families' basic
needs.
This can include an on-site fullservice health clinic run by a
city or state authority, aparent resource room, and even
service animals.
(16:39):
The hope with this model andservices is that it transforms
the overall mindset in whichfamilies become central to
everything that educators do.
This was the case with thelowest performing elementary
school in the Southfield SchoolDistrict near Detroit, Michigan.
(17:00):
The Stevenson Elementary Schoolwent from the lowest performing
school with enrollment dwindlingto around 390 students to one
that today has an enrollmentthat has grown to nearly 500
students with a wait list.
Its parent teacher conferenceparticipation rate is 98%, and
(17:25):
its students show the highestgrowth in reading scores in the
13 school district for the pasttwo years.
The principal enforced theconcept of a community school to
raise parent awareness andengagement.
The programs that the principalinstituted were funded from a
(17:45):
five-year grant from the UnitedWales, Southeastern Michigan
that was awarded to the school.
The idea is that when schoolscan provide more resources such
as health care and counselingservices, students experience
fewer barriers to learning andhave more reasons to attend.
(18:06):
When students can go to schooland get medical care on site,
they don't have to missimportant lessons in math,
science, and reading to go to adoctor's appointment.
When parents have access to freegroceries and healthy recipes
through food drives and foodbanks, their children are less
(18:27):
likely to feel hungry anddistracted in class.
It's a strategy that, ifimplemented well, can lead to
major benefits for students,particularly for low-achieving
students in high povertyschools.
These strategies are alsoeffective in improving parents
(18:48):
and caregivers' trust inschools, which contributes to
positive student outcomes.
One drawback to communityschools is if they go away when
a brand or community partnershipends, students and families are
left without something that theyhave come to rely on, and the
(19:09):
school risks losing the trustit's built up with the
community.
The lesson learned from thiscase study is that if schools
don't build relationships withparents, there's no way that the
type of work that they're doingat this urban school could ever
work.
(19:29):
Being an engaged parent in yourchild's school also means being
a parent advocate for yourchild, especially if your child
has special needs.
There are a few educators whoare equipped to work with
families, whether it'snavigating the intricacies of
special education services ormore generally inviting parents
(19:52):
to be partners in their kids'education.
Unfortunately, many educatorsview parent and family
engagement as an add-on to theiroverall practice.
That's because parent and familyengagement isn't often built
into college and universityprograms that prepare the vast
(20:14):
majority of America's teachersfor the classroom.
Only 51% of teacher preparationprograms provide at least one
course on parent and familyengagement, according to a
recent survey from the AmericanAssociation of Colleges for
Teacher Education and theNational Association for Family,
(20:36):
School, and CommunityEngagement.
The thing is, for those collegesand universities that do offer
courses, not all of thosecourses are even required.
If the teachers are not trainedon family and community
engagement, then they're goingto think that it's something
(20:57):
that's not very important.
Additionally, many states don'thave any laws or policies
requiring schools to trainteachers in family engagement
after they enter the classroom.
Colorado and Nevada are the onlystates with laws requiring that
(21:18):
their departments of educationemploy staff that support
districts in developing andimplementing family and
community engagement policiesand practices.
Still, parent and familyengagement has yet to catch on
as a core skill for educators oras a core function in school
(21:42):
systems.
The good news is that there is adesire now in higher education
teacher preparation programs toaddress parent engagement and
parent advocacy in ways thathave not been addressed before.
They now have an understandingthat this needs to happen and
there's a desire for this tohappen.
(22:06):
While the teacher preparationprograms gradually incorporate
more training on parentengagement, there's still not
much state-level emphasis onschools seeing parents as
partners, especially as parents'trust in the overall school
system remains tentative.
When schools figure out how totruly partner and work with
(22:30):
parents, caregivers, andfamilies, it can be
game-changing for students'academic achievement and social
emotional skills.
The academic achievement hasseen positive effects on reading
achievement, languagecomprehension, and interest in
reading, as well as progress inmathematics.
(22:52):
Schools stand the best chance ofensuring their family engagement
makes a difference by making itsystemic so that everyone in the
building is prioritizing it,making it accessible so the
school isn't exclusively relyingon any one approach, like
nighttime school events thatexclude a fair portion of the
(23:17):
parents, and making itresponsive to the school's
community and culture.
What makes strong family andcommunity engagement is when
teachers are looking at workingwith families as partners in
(24:17):
their child's education.
It's not about producing anewsletter, it's not about ice
cream socials or fundraisers oreven parent-teacher conferences.
It's about the act of developingrelational trust with families
in ways that can support apartnership to the benefit of
(24:39):
the child.
So, what can you do with theinformation that I just shared?
Here are the action steps youcan take regarding transforming
parent engagement.
Speaking of the types ofnotifications that I mostly got
when my kids were in publicschool, those communications
(25:02):
mostly centered around my son'squote unquote behavior.
Let me give you an example.
I'm picking up my son from afterschool care one day, and the
administrator of the afterschool care program tells me
when I'm getting ready to signmy son out that they had to give
him a warning because of the wayhe played dodgeball.
(25:24):
She indicated that he threw theball too hard and a child got
the wind knocked out of him.
My immediate question was Isn'tthat the object of the game?
To hit someone with the ball?
She said yes, but he threw theball too hard, she said.
Number one, that's subjective.
(25:47):
Number two, that's not the typeof feedback that's helpful for
me.
I know how my son plays.
Number three, you thought thatwas a good idea to tell me that
he threw a ball too hard in agame in which the object of the
game is to throw a ball atsomeone?
Huh.
(26:07):
That's not a way to build apositive partnership for parent
engagement.
In my mind, this type oftattletaling notification from
the school is annoying andunnecessary.
I didn't even mention theconversation to my son because,
as far as I was concerned, therewas no correction that was
(26:29):
needed on my part to addresswith him.
No further notifications aboutthis type of incident took place
after that.
Whenever I had a conversationwith school staff, my kids,
teachers, or the principal, Ialways reminded them that I was
(26:49):
never too busy that I couldn'tcome up to this school and
advocate for my children.
Here are ten ways to buildengagement and support for your
child to be successful atschool.
One, make school a priority andinsist on perfect attendance and
(27:15):
punctuality.
Two, trust the school, modelrespect for teachers and staff,
and work cooperatively with theschool.
Three, ask your child what theylearned at school every day, not
just how was your day.
(27:35):
Four, read with your child orhave him or her read to you
every day and talk about whatyou've read.
Five, create a study routine.
Set a time and a quiet place foryour child to work every day.
Go over homework together andinsist that it gets completed
(28:00):
neatly and accurately.
Six, make sure your child getsplenty of sleep each school
night.
Seven, model good characterbecause your child learns from
you.
Speak positively about educationand never talk negatively about
the school or teachers in thepresence of your child.
(28:24):
eight.
Encourage independence.
Allow your children to makemistakes and accept
responsibility for theirchoices.
nine.
Attend parent teacherconferences and school events
whenever possible.
Communicate consistently withyour child's teacher via the
(28:46):
school's communication system,apps, telephone, email, notes,
etc.
And ten.
Build success and confidence inyour child by affirming and
expecting effective effort.
Praise and celebrate theirachievements.
(29:08):
You are your child's firstteacher.
It's important that you engagewith your child's school and
promote academic success fromkindergarten through high school
graduation.
Schools can't do the job ofparents, which is to send your
children to school every day andrequire them to pay attention,
(29:30):
work hard, and obey theirteachers.
A positive teacher school parentpartnership is the ultimate
goal.
Here are this episode'stakeaways.
(29:50):
Effective parent-teachercommunication is crucial for a
successful school year for thestudent, the parents or
caregivers, and the teacher.
Strong parent communicationensures that both parents and
teachers collaborate as a teamthroughout the school year for
the child's best interests.
(30:11):
The bottom line is that parentsjust want to have peace of mind
that their children are in goodhands when they are sent to
school, and establishing aneffective communication system
that includes positives as wellas areas of improvement for your
child is key to ensuring asuccessful school year.
(30:32):
Parent involvement can bedefined as the amount of time
parents volunteer at a school,while parent engagement is the
amount of support,communication, respect, and
commitment that parentsdemonstrate in their child's
schooling.
(30:52):
When schools figure out how totruly partner and work with
parents, caregivers, andfamilies, it can be game
changing for students' academicachievement and social emotional
skills.
The academic achievement hasseen positive effects on the On
reading achievement, languagecomprehension, and interest in
(31:15):
reading, as well as progress inmathematics.
Schools stand the best chance ofensuring that family engagement
makes a difference by making itsystemic so that everyone in the
building is prioritizing it,making it accessible so that
school isn't just relying on anyone approach like nighttime
(31:39):
school events that exclude themajority of working parents, and
that the school is responsive tothe communities and cultures
that they serve.
What's been your experience withparent engagement?
Let me know your thoughts andexperiences by leaving a text
(32:04):
comment on my podcast website,K12Education
Insights.budsprout.com.
Here's how you can leave a textcomment.
Go to the episode descriptionpage and click on the Send Me a
Text Message link.
Again, that's on my website,K12Education
(32:26):
Insights.budsprout.com.
If you enjoyed this episode, whynot listen to another episode
from my library?
It can take as little as 15minutes of your day.
And remember, new episodes comeout every Tuesday.
And before I forget, would youdo me a favor?
(32:47):
Go online right now and sharethis episode with one friend who
you think would love it.
Thanks for listening today.
Be sure to come back for moreinsights on K 12 educational
topics that impact you and yourchildren.
Until next time, learn somethingnew every day.
Welcome to another episode of K-12 Public Education
Insights, Empowering Parents ofColor Podcast.
The podcast that converges atthe intersection of educational
research and parental actions.
It's about making the trends,topics, and theories in public
(01:00):
education understandable so thatyou can implement them into
practical, actionable strategiesthat work for your children.
My name is Dr.
Kim J.
Fields, former corporatemanager, turned education
researcher, and advocate, andI'm the host of this podcast.
(01:22):
I got into this space afterdealing with some frustrating
interactions with schooleducators and administrators, as
well as experiencing themicroaggressions that I faced as
an African-American mom raisingmy two kids who were in the
public school system.
I really wanted to understandhow teachers were trained and
(01:46):
what the research provided aboutthe challenges of the public
education system.
Once I gained the informationand the insights that I needed,
I was then equipped to be ableto successfully support my
children in their educationalprogress.
This battle-tested experience iswhat I provide as action steps
(02:11):
for you to take.
It's like enjoying a bowl ofeducational research with a
sprinkling of motherwit wisdomon top.
If you're looking to find outmore about the current
information and issues ineducation that could affect you
or your children, and the actionsteps you can take to give your
(02:36):
children the advantages theyneed, then you're in the right
place.
Thanks for tuning in today.
I know that staying informedabout K-12 public education
trends and topics is importantto you, so keep listening.
Give me 30 minutes or less, andI'll provide insights on the
(03:00):
latest trends, issues, andtopics pertaining to this
constantly evolving K-12 publiceducation environment.
Are you involved in yourchildren's schools or are you
engaged with their schools?
There is a difference.
(03:22):
Communication and trust are key.
Effective parent educatorcommunication is crucial for a
successful school year for thestudent, the parents or
caregivers, and the teacher.
Strong parent communicationensures that both parents and
(03:44):
teachers collaborate as a teamthroughout the school year for
the child's best interest.
The bottom line is that you wantto have peace of mind that your
children are in good hands whenthey are sent to school, and
establishing an effectivecommunication system that
(04:06):
includes positives and areas ofimprovement for your child is
key to ensuring a successfulschool year.
I discuss what effectiveparent-teacher communication is,
the difference between parentinvolvement and parent
engagement, as well as thebenefits of parent engagement
(04:29):
for enhancing your child'sacademic success in this
episode.
I also provide recommendationsfor ways to build parent
engagement and support for yourchild to be successful in
school.
Let's gain some insight on this.
(04:50):
Schools should make it easy forfamilies to receive, consume,
and respond to the messages theysend out via their
communications platforms.
The easier it is for parents toreceive notifications via email,
app, voice, or text.
(05:12):
The more parents will appreciatethe updates.
Teachers should setcommunication expectations with
parents at a back-to-schoolconference.
At that conference, the teachermeets with families one-on-one
and discusses expectations atschool as well as their
preferred communication styles.
(05:34):
It's important to remember thatthe relationship between
teachers and parents is one oftrust.
Parents trust that the teacheris highly qualified to manage
the classroom and teach therequired content for that grade
level.
Teachers trust the parents toshare their questions or
(05:55):
concerns about their children ina respectful, receptive manner.
Fundamentally, a school can haveperfect parent and family
engagement.
All it takes is a commitment tobuilding trusting relationships
with families regardless oftheir circumstances.
(06:17):
These are the five suggestionsevery school should consider
when looking to improve familyengagement.
One, meet families where theyare.
This could involve home visitsin which teachers meet with
parents at their homes or alocal park or community facility
(06:38):
to get to know the family,understand their expectations,
and commit to being partners.
It's not about identifyingproblems at this stage.
It's more about makingconnections.
Two, make space for parents inschool buildings.
(07:01):
This involves creating adesignated space for families,
such as a parent resource roomwhere they can meet with
teachers or meet other parents.
If there isn't room for adedicated space for parents,
schools can implement an opendoor policy for families, which
allows families to visit duringthe school day.
(07:24):
3.
Maintain a focus on academicachievement.
Schools can use events toprovide parents with lists of
at-home activities they can dowith their children to help with
certain subjects such as readingand math.
In this way, parent events are agreat way to get parents
(07:47):
familiar and comfortable withschool and incorporate student
learning.
Bring in community and culturalpartners.
At a minimum, schools shouldtranslate communications into
parents' native language.
Schools can also partner withreligious organizations,
(08:10):
universities, and communitygroups to provide resources and
host events for families thatreflect their cultures and
community.
And five, use technology as atool, not a crutch.
Tools such as Class Dojo,Seesaw, and Zoom can allow
(08:34):
teachers to meet parents wherethey are and give parents an
inside look at the classroom aswell as build two-way
communication.
Schools need to ensure, though,that technology does not replace
in-person connections.
Parents should be treated asfull partners in their
(08:58):
children's education and nottaken for granted you can become
transformational advocates foryour children when you are
empowered with the rightresources and knowledge.
Research shows that the moreparents that engage and are
engaged, the greater theacademic success of the
(09:20):
children.
Sometimes parent engagementtraining is needed.
Training could focus oneducating parents on the
educational jargon that's usedin schools, as well as how to
navigate the school system andto help uninvolved parents in
the school find ways to becomeinvolved.
(09:42):
The training could alsoincorporate how to facilitate
productive conversations withpeople from different
backgrounds, learning styles,and reasons why they want to
become more engaged in theirchild's school.
If you want to learn more aboutparent engagement training,
(10:02):
check out the Governor'sCommonwealth Institute for
Parent Leadership atPritchardcommittee.org forward
slash Commonwealth Institute forParent Leadership.
Over ninety percent of today'sparents have smartphones, but
(10:23):
only 20% are fully engaged withtheir children's schools.
Can educators bridge the gap?
Absolutely.
And most times it involvestechnology.
We need to recognize that notall families can volunteer at
(10:44):
school or have the confidencethat they have something to
offer.
Therefore, it may be necessaryto redefine engagement to
include meeting with the teacheror administrator to learn about
how the student is doing inschool, reading to the student
at night, going over homeworkassignments, or attending a
(11:05):
school-wide event or meeting.
This level of engagement can betracked, and teachers and school
administrators can encourageparents to engage in different
types of school participation.
They can set a baselineexpectation of one hour per week
and then watch the hoursaccumulate through a visible
(11:26):
tracking system that'scommunicated to the community.
Prioritizing engagement inschools could be a theme in
meetings with the community,inner faith, and business
leaders.
Establishing the benefits to thecommunity at large can help to
generate a gravitational pulltowards the school if for no
(11:49):
other reason than self-interestin an economically stable
community.
The obvious benefits of parentalengagement include parents being
aware of what's taking place atthe school and getting involved,
parents having a betterunderstanding where their
children may struggle, not justhearing it secondhand, at a
(12:13):
teacher conference, betterattendance and participation for
children who follow theenthusiasm and good example of
their parents, and parent-childbonding over a common goal.
Has your child school utilizedtechnology to help keep you
(12:34):
engaged with the school and yourchild's progress?
Tools like Parent Square, SchoolMessenger, and Class Tag are
apps that help schools engageparents in their community and
improve the quality of familysupport in education.
(12:56):
There's a continuum that extendsfrom parent involvement to
parent engagement.
Parent involvement is more likedoing to, and parent engagement
is more like doing with.
Parent engagement could looklike making home visits to
families before or near thestart of school year so that the
(13:20):
focus is on buildingrelationships instead of talking
about problems.
In this way, parents andteachers help create trust.
Teachers are looking at parentsas the experts on their children
and look forward tounderstanding what's needed to
help the child succeed.
(13:40):
Parents can tell teachers aboutwhen the child seems most
excited about attending school,how the child spends free time,
and what past teachers have doneto successfully connect with
their child.
If schools are recognized asneighborhood institutions that
(14:00):
have a responsibility for whatgoes on inside of their four
walls, they can look outward atthe challenges facing the
families they serve.
Social capitalism is a term usedto describe human connections
that are created out of thesetypes of interactions.
(14:22):
Urban schools are notorious forhaving low parental engagement.
However, with effectivementoring and modeling high
expectations for parentengagement, benefits to the
parent and the child arenoticeable.
Many parents in urbancommunities don't become engaged
in their child's educationbecause the school has not
(14:45):
invited them to become involvedor has failed to create a
welcoming environment.
The school staff andadministration must
intentionally create anenvironment that tells parents
they are welcome.
It's critical that the initialcommunication between school and
(15:06):
home be positive.
When parents physically show upat school, the red carpet should
be rolled out and they should betreated in the most professional
and courteous fashion.
Considering that many parentsmay hardly ever be able to
attend school during the timewhen school is in session, it's
critical that parents be invitedto get engaged by serving on
(15:29):
committees, focus groups,completing surveys, volunteering
for events and activities,chaperone field trips, and more.
Parent involvement can bedefined as the amount of time
parents volunteer at the school,while parent engagement is the
amount of support,communication, respect, and
(15:53):
commitment that parentsdemonstrate in their child's
schooling.
A student's behavior andattendance are strongly
correlated with parentalengagement, and the likelihood
of high student achievementfollows closely behind.
Parent engagement involvesseeing the school as a community
(16:17):
school, a model that brings intothe school a range of
non-academic services to meetstudents and families' basic
needs.
This can include an on-site fullservice health clinic run by a
city or state authority, aparent resource room, and even
service animals.
(16:39):
The hope with this model andservices is that it transforms
the overall mindset in whichfamilies become central to
everything that educators do.
This was the case with thelowest performing elementary
school in the Southfield SchoolDistrict near Detroit, Michigan.
(17:00):
The Stevenson Elementary Schoolwent from the lowest performing
school with enrollment dwindlingto around 390 students to one
that today has an enrollmentthat has grown to nearly 500
students with a wait list.
Its parent teacher conferenceparticipation rate is 98%, and
(17:25):
its students show the highestgrowth in reading scores in the
13 school district for the pasttwo years.
The principal enforced theconcept of a community school to
raise parent awareness andengagement.
The programs that the principalinstituted were funded from a
(17:45):
five-year grant from the UnitedWales, Southeastern Michigan
that was awarded to the school.
The idea is that when schoolscan provide more resources such
as health care and counselingservices, students experience
fewer barriers to learning andhave more reasons to attend.
(18:06):
When students can go to schooland get medical care on site,
they don't have to missimportant lessons in math,
science, and reading to go to adoctor's appointment.
When parents have access to freegroceries and healthy recipes
through food drives and foodbanks, their children are less
(18:27):
likely to feel hungry anddistracted in class.
It's a strategy that, ifimplemented well, can lead to
major benefits for students,particularly for low-achieving
students in high povertyschools.
These strategies are alsoeffective in improving parents
(18:48):
and caregivers' trust inschools, which contributes to
positive student outcomes.
One drawback to communityschools is if they go away when
a brand or community partnershipends, students and families are
left without something that theyhave come to rely on, and the
(19:09):
school risks losing the trustit's built up with the
community.
The lesson learned from thiscase study is that if schools
don't build relationships withparents, there's no way that the
type of work that they're doingat this urban school could ever
work.
(19:29):
Being an engaged parent in yourchild's school also means being
a parent advocate for yourchild, especially if your child
has special needs.
There are a few educators whoare equipped to work with
families, whether it'snavigating the intricacies of
special education services ormore generally inviting parents
(19:52):
to be partners in their kids'education.
Unfortunately, many educatorsview parent and family
engagement as an add-on to theiroverall practice.
That's because parent and familyengagement isn't often built
into college and universityprograms that prepare the vast
(20:14):
majority of America's teachersfor the classroom.
Only 51% of teacher preparationprograms provide at least one
course on parent and familyengagement, according to a
recent survey from the AmericanAssociation of Colleges for
Teacher Education and theNational Association for Family,
(20:36):
School, and CommunityEngagement.
The thing is, for those collegesand universities that do offer
courses, not all of thosecourses are even required.
If the teachers are not trainedon family and community
engagement, then they're goingto think that it's something
(20:57):
that's not very important.
Additionally, many states don'thave any laws or policies
requiring schools to trainteachers in family engagement
after they enter the classroom.
Colorado and Nevada are the onlystates with laws requiring that
(21:18):
their departments of educationemploy staff that support
districts in developing andimplementing family and
community engagement policiesand practices.
Still, parent and familyengagement has yet to catch on
as a core skill for educators oras a core function in school
(21:42):
systems.
The good news is that there is adesire now in higher education
teacher preparation programs toaddress parent engagement and
parent advocacy in ways thathave not been addressed before.
They now have an understandingthat this needs to happen and
there's a desire for this tohappen.
(22:06):
While the teacher preparationprograms gradually incorporate
more training on parentengagement, there's still not
much state-level emphasis onschools seeing parents as
partners, especially as parents'trust in the overall school
system remains tentative.
When schools figure out how totruly partner and work with
(22:30):
parents, caregivers, andfamilies, it can be
game-changing for students'academic achievement and social
emotional skills.
The academic achievement hasseen positive effects on reading
achievement, languagecomprehension, and interest in
reading, as well as progress inmathematics.
(22:52):
Schools stand the best chance ofensuring their family engagement
makes a difference by making itsystemic so that everyone in the
building is prioritizing it,making it accessible so the
school isn't exclusively relyingon any one approach, like
nighttime school events thatexclude a fair portion of the
(23:17):
parents, and making itresponsive to the school's
community and culture.
What makes strong family andcommunity engagement is when
teachers are looking at workingwith families as partners in
(24:17):
their child's education.
It's not about producing anewsletter, it's not about ice
cream socials or fundraisers oreven parent-teacher conferences.
It's about the act of developingrelational trust with families
in ways that can support apartnership to the benefit of
(24:39):
the child.
So, what can you do with theinformation that I just shared?
Here are the action steps youcan take regarding transforming
parent engagement.
Speaking of the types ofnotifications that I mostly got
when my kids were in publicschool, those communications
(25:02):
mostly centered around my son'squote unquote behavior.
Let me give you an example.
I'm picking up my son from afterschool care one day, and the
administrator of the afterschool care program tells me
when I'm getting ready to signmy son out that they had to give
him a warning because of the wayhe played dodgeball.
(25:24):
She indicated that he threw theball too hard and a child got
the wind knocked out of him.
My immediate question was Isn'tthat the object of the game?
To hit someone with the ball?
She said yes, but he threw theball too hard, she said.
Number one, that's subjective.
(25:47):
Number two, that's not the typeof feedback that's helpful for
me.
I know how my son plays.
Number three, you thought thatwas a good idea to tell me that
he threw a ball too hard in agame in which the object of the
game is to throw a ball atsomeone?
Huh.
(26:07):
That's not a way to build apositive partnership for parent
engagement.
In my mind, this type oftattletaling notification from
the school is annoying andunnecessary.
I didn't even mention theconversation to my son because,
as far as I was concerned, therewas no correction that was
(26:29):
needed on my part to addresswith him.
No further notifications aboutthis type of incident took place
after that.
Whenever I had a conversationwith school staff, my kids,
teachers, or the principal, Ialways reminded them that I was
(26:49):
never too busy that I couldn'tcome up to this school and
advocate for my children.
Here are ten ways to buildengagement and support for your
child to be successful atschool.
One, make school a priority andinsist on perfect attendance and
(27:15):
punctuality.
Two, trust the school, modelrespect for teachers and staff,
and work cooperatively with theschool.
Three, ask your child what theylearned at school every day, not
just how was your day.
(27:35):
Four, read with your child orhave him or her read to you
every day and talk about whatyou've read.
Five, create a study routine.
Set a time and a quiet place foryour child to work every day.
Go over homework together andinsist that it gets completed
(28:00):
neatly and accurately.
Six, make sure your child getsplenty of sleep each school
night.
Seven, model good characterbecause your child learns from
you.
Speak positively about educationand never talk negatively about
the school or teachers in thepresence of your child.
(28:24):
eight.
Encourage independence.
Allow your children to makemistakes and accept
responsibility for theirchoices.
nine.
Attend parent teacherconferences and school events
whenever possible.
Communicate consistently withyour child's teacher via the
(28:46):
school's communication system,apps, telephone, email, notes,
etc.
And ten.
Build success and confidence inyour child by affirming and
expecting effective effort.
Praise and celebrate theirachievements.
(29:08):
You are your child's firstteacher.
It's important that you engagewith your child's school and
promote academic success fromkindergarten through high school
graduation.
Schools can't do the job ofparents, which is to send your
children to school every day andrequire them to pay attention,
(29:30):
work hard, and obey theirteachers.
A positive teacher school parentpartnership is the ultimate
goal.
Here are this episode'stakeaways.
(29:50):
Effective parent-teachercommunication is crucial for a
successful school year for thestudent, the parents or
caregivers, and the teacher.
Strong parent communicationensures that both parents and
teachers collaborate as a teamthroughout the school year for
the child's best interests.
(30:11):
The bottom line is that parentsjust want to have peace of mind
that their children are in goodhands when they are sent to
school, and establishing aneffective communication system
that includes positives as wellas areas of improvement for your
child is key to ensuring asuccessful school year.
(30:32):
Parent involvement can bedefined as the amount of time
parents volunteer at a school,while parent engagement is the
amount of support,communication, respect, and
commitment that parentsdemonstrate in their child's
schooling.
(30:52):
When schools figure out how totruly partner and work with
parents, caregivers, andfamilies, it can be game
changing for students' academicachievement and social emotional
skills.
The academic achievement hasseen positive effects on the On
reading achievement, languagecomprehension, and interest in
(31:15):
reading, as well as progress inmathematics.
Schools stand the best chance ofensuring that family engagement
makes a difference by making itsystemic so that everyone in the
building is prioritizing it,making it accessible so that
school isn't just relying on anyone approach like nighttime
(31:39):
school events that exclude themajority of working parents, and
that the school is responsive tothe communities and cultures
that they serve.
What's been your experience withparent engagement?
Let me know your thoughts andexperiences by leaving a text
(32:04):
comment on my podcast website,K12Education
Insights.budsprout.com.
Here's how you can leave a textcomment.
Go to the episode descriptionpage and click on the Send Me a
Text Message link.
Again, that's on my website,K12Education
(32:26):
Insights.budsprout.com.
If you enjoyed this episode, whynot listen to another episode
from my library?
It can take as little as 15minutes of your day.
And remember, new episodes comeout every Tuesday.
And before I forget, would youdo me a favor?
(32:47):
Go online right now and sharethis episode with one friend who
you think would love it.
Thanks for listening today.
Be sure to come back for moreinsights on K 12 educational
topics that impact you and yourchildren.
Until next time, learn somethingnew every day.
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