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
Families as Partners in Learning: Family Engagement
This brief provides an in-depth description of the National Center for Families Learning’s approach to family engagement, the models that put that approach into practice, and the work still to be done to ensure that family engagement practices that service all children are embedded in schools and communities across the country.
Publication Date: September 2023
Publisher: National Center for Families Learning
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
Fostering Family Engagement in the Middle Grades: Beyond the Weekly Newsletter
Research shows positive family engagement is a huge boon to key student indicators like attendance, academic achievement, and feelings of safety and belonging at school. School leaders share the most effective strategies they’ve used for creating real, impactful partnerships with families.
Publication Date: October 2022
Publisher: Association for Middle Level Education
Harnessing Parent Teacher Collaboration
To provide the most enriching environment for their student to excel, parents need the resources and confidence to contribute to their child’s education. This article explains how educators can cultivate that confidence by including their students’ families in conversations and events that affect a student’s in-school life and direct families toward tools that can assist their student in realizing their goals.
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: Updated 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, Local Education Agencies, 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
Strategies for Parent, Family, Student and Community Engagement with K-12 Schools
This webinar discusses strategies to improve parent, family, student and community engagement with K–12 schools. Panelists explain the research in this field, offer recommendations for state policy leaders and highlight innovative and evidence-based models that have been successful in schools and communities across the country.
Author: Catherine Van Ness
Publication Date: October 2022
Publisher: National Governors Association
Strengthening Home and School Connections in the Middle School Years
This article offers four effective practices and strategies that school leaders can use to help strengthen families’ knowledge, skills, and strategies to support learning, as well as to help middle school educators to develop the capacity and disposition to partner with families in ways that are streamlined.
Author: Maria Paredes
Publication Date: February 2024
Publisher: WestEd
Text Message Initiatives for Parent Engagement: Communication with Middle School Staff and Families
Research has shown that messaging via text can successfully change behavior and that increased parental involvement leads to children experiencing better academic, behavioral, and social outcomes, as well as schools receiving better ratings on measures of climate and culture. Parents themselves also report better attitudes about their children’s education when they are more engaged. This video covers collaborative communication between middle school staff and families.
Author: Hadley Bachman
Publication Date: June 2022
Publisher: Institute of Education Sciences
The Essential Playbook for Family Engagement in Middle School
This playbook offers evidence-based strategies to enhance family engagement in middle schools. The playbook provides actionable steps and practical approaches to ensure that family engagement is not just a concept but also a dynamic and integral part of the student development process during the middle school years.
Authors: Melinda Wallace and Maria Paredes
Publication Date: October 2024
Publisher: WestEd
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
The Role of Parents During the Middle School Years: Strategies for Teachers to Support Middle School Family Engagement
This article provides research-based strategies for middle-level educators to effectively communicate with parents to bolster developmentally appropriate family engagement. These strategies are paired with examples demonstrating how the research translates into practice.
Authors: Hadley Bachman, Eric Anderman, Brett Zyromski, and Barbara Boone
Publication Date: 2021
Publisher: School Community Journal
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
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