6 Strategies for Effective School Family Engagement Events
Making genuine connections with underserved families opens doors to communication, problem-solving, and mutual support on behalf of students' learning and achievement. School-based family engagement centers on the activities, events, and communication schools share with families. This blog post offers six strategies to improve family attendance at school events and to make event planning and family outreach more intentional and effective.
Author: Maria Paredes
Publication Date: August 2022
Publisher: REL Northwest, Institute of Education Sciences
A Comparison of Program Development at Elementary, Middle, and High Schools in the National Network of Partnership Schools
Based on survey data collected from 375 elementary, middle, and high schools in the National Network of Partnership Schools, this paper identifies differences and similarities in the development and quality of schools’ programs of school, family, and community partnership.
Authors: Mavis Sanders and Beth Simon
Publisher: School Community Journal
Embracing a New Normal: Toward a More Liberatory Approach to Family Engagement
This report explores the dynamics and barriers that stand in the way of effective family-school partnerships and outlines how to reach a more liberatory, solidarity-driven, and focused family engagement practice that supports educational excellence for all children.
Authors: Karen L. Mapp and Eyal Bergman
Publication Date: June 2021
Publisher: Carnegie Corporation of New York
Encircle Families
Collaboration between families and professionals results in the best possible outcomes for children with disabilities. Encircle Families is an Arizona nonprofit organization that provides free training and information to parents to help them understand their rights, roles, and responsibilities in their child’s health care and education. Training for pre-service and in-service professionals in education is available to improve collaboration between families and providers and achieve better results for children.
Publisher: Encircle Families
Family Engagement: Collaborating with Families of Students with Disabilities
This module addresses the importance of engaging the families of students with disabilities in their child’s education. It highlights some of the key factors that affect these families and outlines some practical ways to build relationships and create opportunities for involvement.
Publisher: IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University
Family Engagement in Schools: Parent, Educator, and Community Perspectives
This study explored parent, educator, and community member perspectives of family engagement, preschool through grade 12. Several themes emerged through focus groups, including the importance of relationships, communication, parent education, and family activities.
Authors: Noel Kelty and Tomoko Wakabayashi
Publication Date: October-December 2020
Publisher: SAGE Open
Family Engagement to Support Student Success
Experts from the field discuss how family engagement can support math and literacy learning. This webinar provides education leaders and practitioners with family engagement resources and evidence-based strategies to support student success.
Publication Date: May 2023
Publisher: Carnegie Corporation of New York
Harnessing Parent Teacher Collaboration
This article defines parent-teacher collaboration, the benefits, and the struggles. It provides collaboration tools to foster effective family-teacher collaboration through emails, video conferencing, and apps used as reminders and a way of sharing information.
Publication Date: July 2021
Publisher: Western Governors University
National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
Families are essential partners to providing a high-quality education for every student. These Standards are updated to incorporate more current research and best practices, integrate the perspectives of families, educators, and youth, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, and improve the usefulness of the Standards across the education system.
Publication Date: 2022
Publisher: National PTA’s Center for Family Engagement
Parent and Family Engagement under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act
The purpose of this guidance is to assist State Education Agencies (SEAs), Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and schools in administering the parent and family engagement provisions of Title I, Part A of the ESEA. The guidance is divided into five major sections: general issues related to parent and family engagement, responsibilities of SEAs, responsibilities of LEAs, responsibilities of schools, and responsibilities of LEAs and schools to build parents’ capacity for becoming involved in improving their child’s academic achievement.
Publication Date: Revised January 2025
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education
Strengthening Family Engagement through Collaborative Partnerships
National PTA’s Center for Family Engagement and the Institute for Educational Leadership partnered for this webinar to explore best practices for building partnerships with evidence-based family engagement programs, PTAs, parent groups, and others to strengthen family engagement capacity in schools and districts.
Publication Date: February 2025
Publisher: National PTA
The Role of Parental Involvement in Students' Academic Achievement
Research shows the extent to which schools nurture positive relationships with families and vice versa makes all the difference. This blog post explains students whose parents stay involved in school have better attendance and behavior, get better grades, demonstrate better social skills, and adapt better to school.
Publication Date: Updated July 2025
Publisher: The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Using the PBIS Framework to Build Collaboration Across All Partners
This presentation provides a basic understanding of PBIS and shares resources developed by the Center on PBIS and related state projects to enhance collaboration across partners, especially those who support families in the community.
Author: Heather Peshak George
Publication Date: March 2024
Publisher: Center on PBIS, University of Oregon
WestEd’s Leading Together Series: Three Essential Practices for Creating Family-Friendly Schools
This webinar discusses how to create welcoming school environments, maintain clear and open communication, and actively engage with families. Learn how these practices can improve school culture and grow a community of dedicated educators, students, and families.
Publication Date: October 2024
Publisher: WestEd
When Students Struggle: A Teacher’s Guide to Communicating with Families
This guide was created to make conversations with parents and caregivers easier and more productive. The guide contains tips, insights, and information that can help teachers partner with families to provide the best support for all students.
Authors: Trynia Kaufman, Amanda Morin, Tara Drinks, Gretchen Vierstra, and Lydia Breiseth
Publication Date: 2021
Publisher: Understood for All