Parent Engagement

Why Parent Involvement is Important

Parent engagement is when teachers and parents share a responsibility to help their children learn and meet educational goals. Having good communication and a positive parent-teacher relationship can facilitate student success in the classroom. There are many benefits for the teacher, parent/caregiver, and student when parent engagement is high. Some of the benefits include:

Parents get ideas on how to support their child’s learning at home
Students have increased motivation for learning, higher grades, and better attendance
Students have fewer behavioral problems and demonstrate better social skills
Teachers learn more about students’ needs and home environment

Barriers to Engagement

Below is a list of common barriers to parent/caregiver’s involvement in their child’s education:

Lack of family resources (time, transportations, child care)
Lack of teacher time
Lack of understanding of communication styles (mismatch in communication styles often due to cultural and language differences)
Parent’s lack of comfort (intimidation)
Lack of vested interest (families don’t believe their involvement will result in meaningful change)

Ways to Increase Parent Engagement:

Initiate communication prior to or at the beginning of the school year to establish a positive relationship
Ash caregivers about their communication preferences (e.g. phone calls, message boards, Class Dojo, e-mail, in person, written notes)
Send home information on a weekly basis telling parents how they can help their child with homework; be specific and positive
Create classroom activities that ask students to bring in pictures or objects that share fun things about their families
Periodically, send home “special notes” describing successes, effort, good behavior, or kindness
Hold open houses and parent-teacher conferences
Invite parents to meet with you to collaborate on goals you each have for their child
Send home handouts about how parents can help their child read or prepare for tests (see www.pta.org)
Provide families with personalized updates on their child’s learning and/or behavior
Ask your district for a language interpreter, as needed

Show & Tell

Hold show-and-tell events where students teach their parents what they are learning, or engage in learning activities with parents –

Teachers can create long-term projects (e.g., writing units) and share the final products with parents
Teachers can set-up different stations and students can work in teams to decide what to share; they can practice presentation skills
Create a collaborative activity that students and families complete together or with another family
Hold the events during the day and at night to reach all parents’ availability
Hold a potluck and ask each family to share a family dish or family tradition

Resources

Three Ways to Take Parent Engagement to Meaningful Parent Partnerships: https://owncloud.waterford.org/index.php/s/hLp1dA4RuHYVoFy

Video on providing parent workshops:
https://youtu.be/yw2PTxH9eXs

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