Coffee and conversation do not equate to transformational family engagement

When asked about their family engagement efforts, many school teams say that they’re putting in the work and that most families feel connected to their school community. But it’s hard to point to evidence of this connection beyond survey results–let alone know how many people took the survey in the first place.

Research–and our own experience–tells us that when educators and families work together, build trust, and form relationships, student achievement and school culture both benefit. These kinds of partnerships take trust, time and effort to form. Doing this kind of transformational family engagement work often means doing things, well, differently.

At CSLX, we know transformational family engagement is taking place when practices, systems and structures support and encourage families to have a voice in schools. ALL families feel safe and valued, and know how to create and leverage opportunities for sharing decision making and collaboration, and families and educators work together to advance a shared vision of success for students, and for each student.

This type of work necessitates trust between families and schools and fosters meaningful and collaborative connections between families and educators, shared, inclusive school visioning and goal-setting, and increased family school partnership.

• Meaningful & collaborative connections between families and educators;

• Shared, inclusive school visioning and goal-setting that reflects the inherent strengths, experiences, and diversity of school communities;

• Increased family-school partnership around student learning that can lead to positive outcomes for student achievement and socio-emotional development.

When we unpack what transformational family engagement truly is, we realize that for many of us, we are in the beginning stages of this work. What are some examples of this? While keeping in mind that it’s an ongoing process that requires the work and partnership of many interest holders, here are some places to build from.

• One welcome back event at the beginning of the year.

• Families only discuss their student’s academics with their teachers during parent teacher conference week.

• The “family engagement person” being responsible for all the “family engagement stuff,” or viewing family engagement as one person’s “job” (i.e., the Community School Coordinator, the Family Liaison).

• The same three active parent voices volunteering for every event.

• Periodic events designed without input from families.

• Doing something just to check the box.

Where are you in this work? When you take an honest look at your current family engagement strategy and goals, you may want to ask yourself and your team a few questions:

• How were our family engagement goals developed? In partnership with families or for families?

• Are families and teachers supported to be in partnership around student learning and development?

• Are there practices, systems and structures in place to support a culture supporting and encouraging families to have a voice in the design of the school?

• Are communication plans co-designed?

• Is the connection/ relationship between families and the school the focus of events instead of attendance?

• Do we take the time/make the effort to continuously learn about/explore what families actually want versus planning and doing and implementing what we “think” they want?

• Is there buy-in that it is everyone’s job to contribute to our family engagement strategy? Or is there an agreed belief of “this is not my responsibility” between some?

Once you understand where you are in the transformational family engagement development process, you can chart a course to continue to strengthen partnerships between families and educators.

If you’d like guidance on how you and your teams can start charting this course, good news! In a few short weeks, CSLX will share insights, strategies, and practical resources that can help community school practitioners, district leads, and school teams reinvigorate their relationships with families. In a 1.5-hour, totally virtual workshop, we’ll work together to dig into building trust between families and educators, grow everyone’s capacity to work together, and set goals for strengthening family engagement.

Registration is now open. Hope to see you there!

by Melissa Mitchell

Melissa Mitchell is a community school practitioner with more than fifteen years in the field. Her experiences range from Community School Coordinator to leading the Federation for Community Schools, a Illinois-wide capacity building and policy organization. Melissa has supported community school development in a variety of ways, from providing coaching and direct technical assistance to schools, districts, practitioners and community partners to working with legislators and policymakers to develop supportive-state level policies that advanced community school development across Illinois.