Families & the Community Video

‘A Welcoming Place’: Family Engagement Strategies for Schools (Video)

By Libby Stanford & Jaclyn Borowski — May 02, 2024 1 min read
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Education Week Staff Writer Libby Stanford spent the past four months talking to parents, superintendents, principals, teachers, and researchers about what it takes to build positive relationships between families and schools. Such relationships are key to helping students do well.

Ultimately, they said, it comes down to developing trust.

Here, Stanford shares key strategies schools can adopt to make sure their family engagement practices are effective at building long-lasting, trusting relationships with families.

Dive Deeper

This story is part of a special reporting project on family engagement.
The Future of Parent Engagement: Parents and caregivers are paying more attention to their children’s education than ever. Here’s what that means for schools.
A New Community School Model: Family and community engagement is central to the success of Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich. See how the transformation started.
“Add-on” or Core Skill? Researchers agree family engagement is effective, but few colleges actually teach it.
Bridging the Gap: A home visit program is helping parents and teachers build more trusting relationships in Denver.
A New Generation of Apps: Tech platforms are changing the way teachers communicate with families. How can schools use them effectively?
5 Strategies: Schools don’t need an influx of money and resources to have effective family engagement. Find out how. (Here’s a downloadable guide.)

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