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Listening to parents is essential to fostering resiliency in children. This interesting article by Beweika Foster Steen, in the naeyc, simplys outlines the 5 R's to build positive relationships by all those involved.

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Developing positive partnerships with the families of the children you teach is one of your most important tasks as a teacher. It can also be among the scariest or the most challenging tasks! I offer five Rs-respect, responsiveness and reassurance, relationship, reciprocity, and reflection-to help you build trust and promote positive family engagement in your preschool classroom.

Families Want Respect

Showing families respect is more than being polite-it is esteeming or honoring families. Family members want to feel respected as their child's first and most important teacher; they also want to see that you respect their family values, culture, and home experiences. Respect does not equate to agreeing with every decision made by families. It means being aware of your own biases and making sure that your own ideas, beliefs, and opinions don't interfere with your work to understand each families' choices and circumstances.

Respect also calls on educators to embrace a strengths-based approach to their interactions with children and families. In other words, a strengths-based approach demonstrates respect for families by recognizing, appreciating, and celebrating what they bring to a program or school. Families are viewed as contributors, creators, and participants.

Here are strategies you can utilize to develop respect:

Listen to families. First and foremost, allow enough time to truly listen to families. This confirms for families that their thoughts, suggestions, and opinions matter and are valued.

Maintain constant communication with families through apps and other means. Use an app (like Seesaw or Bloomz.com) or design a private, secure webpage that includes the classroom newsletter, weekly plans, photos of the children, a resources and upcoming events section, a forum for asking questions, and an activity for families to complete with their children each week. Activities should be meaningful and doable, such as an "all about me" questionnaire (which you might complete first to help introduce yourself to children and families). You can also share photos and videos. Include the same items on a family bulletin board inside or near your classroom.

Foster classroom community with a Family of the Week backpack. To foster cross-cultural learning and deeper relationships in an ongoing way, ask family members to complete an "all about my family" activity that you package in a backpack. Ask families to include items that are important to them in the backpack and to unpack it in class as they share information about each item and answer children's questions. If family members are not able to join in person, don't worry. They can join virtually using video conferencing (like Zoom) or share a recorded video of themselves unpacking the backpack and explaining the items they pull out. If families are unable to participate directly, the child can share the backpack while showing pictures of their family. Suggest that families include items that represent their culture, a favorite family memory, and a family interest or hobby.

Use the information and experiences shared to connect with the broader curriculum so that families' funds of knowledge are integrated into learning in meaningful and sustained ways. For example, find children's literature that mirrors cultures, languages, and experiences shared. (Check out weneeddiversebooks.org or tfcbooks.org/best-recommended/booklist to find children's books that celebrate diversity.)

Families Want Reassurance and Responsiveness

Family members need to be reassured that you care about meeting their child where they are and that you are knowledgeable about their child as an individual and as a part of social and cultural communities. They want to be reassured that their child will not be singled out, labeled, forgotten, or harmed-but will be kept safe and be engaged in activities that are suited to their child's unique strengths, interests, preferences, and needs. They also want to feel that you are responsive and that they can trust you to address their concerns and questions. For educators to be responsive, they must embrace flexibility. Educators who are flexible in their understanding, their expectations, and their responses to the families they serve will build that trust.

Here are strategies you can utilize to offer reassurance:

Take a lot of photos and videos. Keep a device nearby to take photos and video recordings (and keep in mind which families have agreed to have their children photographed and what types of sharing they are permitting). Families want to know what their child does during the day, who they play with, the activities they enjoy, and how they are progressing. Most love keeping up with these things through photos and videos. Sharing photos and videos weekly gives every family regular opportunities to peek into their child's daily school routine, which also helps to reassure them that their child is happy and is learning at their program. Make sure you gather documentation for every child on a regular basis to share with their families. (To learn more, read Experiences Can't Go Home in Cubbies: Using Digital Technology and Documentation to Connect with Families, by Stephanie Haney.)

Provide daily or mid-week talking points. Unlike more thorough weekly updates, talking points can be just a few sentences to let families know topics, concepts, or vocabulary words that their children are learning and how to expand on those things at home.

Pick up the phone. Responding to family members is the most important and easiest way to develop a trusting relationship with them and to reassure them that you are on their team. Respond to phone calls, emails, and other messages within 24 hours. Returning these in a timely manner reassures families because it shows that their questions, thoughts, and concerns are important to you.

Families Want a Relationship

Creating and maintaining partnerships with families is a critical component of developmentally appropriate practice and for good reason: families have expertise about their children, and they play a critical role in their child's growth and learning. When families do not feel that they are part of the classroom community, they might distance themselves from the school or program. This might impact their willingness to interact with you and to volunteer in classroom activities.

Here are strategies you can utilize to build relationships:

Say "Hello!" It is amazing how far a simple Hello! will go toward building a positive relationship. Just by acknowledging a family member's presence, you are being welcoming. Short, inviting conversations can lead to positive relationships and family engagement.

Invite family members into your classroom community. Some families may not know whether they are allowed to be involved in their child's classroom and may not be clear about how to support their child's learning at home. This provides a great opportunity to help the family become engaged with your program's community and to share activities for extended learning. Invite families to serve as a mystery reader or a mystery guest speaker (virtually or in-person). Ask children to guess the mystery reader or speaker by providing clues. For at-home learning, provide a weekly calendar (such as the one provided at RIF.org) of activities families can do at home with their children.

Make it easy for families to ask questions. Offer opportunities at the program and online for families to communicate any questions, concerns, comments, or suggestions they may have. You could create forum space on your classroom webpage, in your newsletter, or on your family bulletin board. You could also have a comment box in your classroom for families to share more private communications.

Families Want Reciprocity

Reciprocity often involves a shift in thinking about engagement and communication because it relies on interdependence, or depending on each other to accomplish something. One member of a relationship must coordinate their thinking and actions with others to reach shared understanding and decision making. Such coordination involves being flexible with our approaches and expectations. When we do so, we can foster a supportive and trusting relationship with families and enhance their motivation to communicate and participate.

Here are strategies you can utilize to practice reciprocity:

Involve families by dialoguing and including them in making decisions. Inquire about a family's goals and expectations for their child, their child's teacher, and their child's school. Telling families about their child is a one-way form of communication. Two-way forms of communication give families opportunities to collaborate with you and to actually talk about their concerns, wants, goals, and dreams. In addition, keep them informed about upcoming plans or changes, with sufficient time to consider their options and preferences, to ask questions, and to communicate with you. As stated in NAEYC's position statement on advancing equity, educators should "uphold every family's right to make decisions for and with their children."

Consider culture, language, and literacy when communicating with families. This means knowing about the families and ensuring that accommodations are made so that every family can access and respond to the information you share. Translate documents into families' home languages and use interpreters to help strengthen the two-way engagement and communication between you and families.

Families Want Teachers to Reflect

True reflection is ongoing and an essential part of assessment and teaching. Reflecting helps teachers engage children and families intentionally instead of falling into routines. You may find it most useful to reflect daily or weekly (such as taking an extra 10 minutes before you write your weekly update for families). As long as you find time to reflect while your memories are still fresh, you'll have new insights that will positively impact your instruction and your interactions with each child and their family.

Here are strategies you can utilize to promote reflection:

Ask yourself: How well do I know each of the children and their families, and how can I learn more about them? How often do I interact with each family? What strategies do I use to ensure they know they are an important part of the learning community?

Ask family members: How would you like to be involved in the classroom? Is there a book you would like to read to the class, a cultural tradition you would like to share, or an activity related to your job or a hobby (like bird watching) you would like to lead? What do you think your child needs to have an even more enjoyable and educational experience in the classroom?

Ask your colleagues: How do you engage families? Is there something we should do together-like host a family science and art night-to get to know family members better and show ways to extend learning at home?

Conclusion

At its best, early childhood is a time when teachers, children, and families open themselves to each other, inviting joyful play, collaborative inquiry, thoughtful observation, and deep caring. Together, families and early childhood educators nurture positive social, emotional, and intellectual development.

One More R: Sharing Resources with Families

By using the five Rs, educators can build trust and foster positive family engagement. Families will know that you have their child's best interests in mind, and they may want to learn about resources they can use at home. Here are strategies you can use for sharing resources:

Include family-friendly resources on your website or family communication app and bulletin board. Free events, concerts, educational websites, local places of interest, book fairs, and more are examples of valuable resources for all families. In addition, list (and regularly update) support services and organizations, like food banks, the local United Way office locations, and clinics offering free dental care, eyeglasses, and flu shots.

Create a monthly Family Fun calendar. To support playful learning at home, you could create a monthly calendar with suggested activities that may be completed by families to supplement their child's classroom learning. Suggest easy-to-use apps along with readily available non-digital materials at home that promote learning and engagement. For example, check out:

Rif.org/literacy-central/calendars-This literacy-based website equips educators with interactive calendars. Each day on the calendar provides either information about that day, an activity to complete with an adult, or a question to ponder.

Pbskids.org-This interactive website offers resources and tips for families. In addition, the free website includes games and videos.

Readingrockets.org-This literacy website provides articles, videos, blogs, and PBS television shows related to reading.

Recommend family-oriented magazines. Highlight available magazines and articles related to child development, parenting, or early education during family conferences and back to school night. Also display them on your bulletin board, online communication platform, or in the waiting area during family conferences. Many have free subscriptions: Family Magazine, Family Fun Magazine, Working Mother, and Highlights.

Photograph: © Getty Images.
Copyright © 2022 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.

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Five Rs for Promoting Positive Family Engagement

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I offer five Rs-respect, responsiveness and reassurance, relationship, reciprocity, and reflection-to help you build trust and promote positive family engagement in your preschool classroom.

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A short explanation of the concept by the Center of Child Development at Harvard University.

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Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

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Outlining the challenges will assist navigating the way forward. This short article lists strategies that can build some solid strategies to involve parents in the lives of their children.

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By: Jennifer Larson
Studies of successful schools indicate that a high rate of parent involvement is a major factor in their success and can even help close the achievement gap between groups of students. Yet while 85 percent of parents feel they could personally make "a lot" or "a fair amount" of difference in their child's learning and academic progress, 46 percent of parents wish they could do more to support their child's education.

The key to productive and positive parent engagement is a good flow of communication between school and home, and that communication should encompass every stakeholder, including parents, teachers, administrators, specialists, club leaders and coaches, and the parent-teacher organization. The strategies here can help you increase parent engagement at your school.

Understanding the Common Challenges

Ensuring good communication between school and home has become more challenging in recent years due to a number of key trends impacting parent engagement. First, the diversity of family living arrangements continues to increase, so educators cannot assume students are living at home with two parents. Second, families move a lot; in fact, the U.S. has one of the most mobile populations in the world. Third, many school communities include immigrants from multiple countries who speak a variety of languages. Finally, the rise of student support teams means there are often many educators working with each child. Due to these factors, and others, communications efforts by schools can often hit roadblocks, despite good intentions.

Here are some common challenges that impact outreach:

Lack of accessibility: School communications that are accessible only via computer (but not mobile) or only in one language may be overlooked by a significant number of parents.

Too many tools: The typical student has eight different teachers, and each teacher may be using a different communication tool, which can cause parents to feel overwhelmed and frustrated.

Too many buzzwords: Parents don't necessarily understand "edu-speak," so communications full of jargon will fail to resonate.

Too much (or fractured) communication: Communications emanating from multiple sources and via multiple platforms can cause parents to miss important information and make it difficult for them to sort through and prioritize.

Strategies to Improve School-Home Communications

Schools have made great strides in increasing the frequency of communication with families, taking advantage of digital tools to give parents more visibility into their child's day. However, as the challenges listed above indicate, the proliferation of tools has now fragmented communications to the point of leaving parents overwhelmed and unsure what to do with the information they receive. Parents appreciate the school's effort to communicate, but if they can't act on the information and the school isn't sure if it was even received, nobody achieves the desired results.

With this in mind, the next level of innovation is required: rather than concentrating simply on parent-teacher communication, we need to instead design ways to improve the whole-school focus on communications, simplifying the process for all stakeholders and promoting consistency in communication between educators and families. This includes giving teachers fewer tools to manage, reducing the number of places parents need to look for information, and making information more clearly actionable. By ensuring parents have an easier time receiving communications from the school, it will help school leaders gain buy-in for goals and initiatives, help teachers foster the parent engagement desired in the classroom, and help students get the support they need from their families.

Here are some strategies for leaders to establish positive and productive communications right from the start of the school year:

1. Pick one tool: School leaders ought to conduct a communications audit to get a handle on how teachers are communicating with parents, and then provide clear direction on which tool to use, as well as some general communication protocols. Finding one platform that every educator can use and explaining why this is a priority will increase buy-in from all stakeholders, and, collectively, your staff and faculty can enhance their success in engaging parents.

2. Issue shorter, more frequent communications: Don't kick off the year with one long communication or wait until the end of the term to reach out with an extensive recap. Just as schools have moved to more frequent assessments of students, school communications should also be concise and frequent to keep parents in the loop on an ongoing basis.

3. Personalize: Personalization isn't just for students. Parents expect it, too, and new technology tools can help parents customize how they're connected to their children's schools. This is especially important since not all parents can come into school at designated times. Personalization features include giving parents the option to "subscribe" to the channels featuring updates they wish to receive―personalizing the information, not just the delivery method―which ensures they get the information they feel is relevant without it getting lost amid other information overload.

4. Set the tone: Encourage teachers to share a bit of information about themselves at the start of the year, perhaps at parent night, to set the tone for an open exchange with students' parents and caregivers. They should develop and communicate a process for regular, ongoing communication throughout the year so parents know what to expect.

5. Build relationships: Teachers should focus on building relationships with parents to establish trust and foster those relationships throughout the year. Schools should also ensure that parents have opportunities to build rapport with their child's support network, which can include a whole team of people, including learning specialists.

6. Share accountability: Make it clear that all faculty members are expected to participate in the school's communications efforts. By providing clear guidance on this expectation, along with the proper tools and protocols to make it actionable, leaders can make it a reality. Administrators should also lead by example, demonstrating that they are equally accountable for executing the plan.

7. Invite parents to be partners: If educators don't already know the school's parent body, they should be sure to reach out and learn more about them. Teachers should invite parents to share information about their child's strengths and weaknesses, what type of support system they have at home, and whether anything going on in the child's life may impact classroom behavior. Information like this can be essential in equipping teachers to meet students' needs.

8. Empower parents to opt in: Design opportunities where parents can opt in (or out) of certain information or updates that are relevant, or irrelevant, to their child. Bombarding every parent with every update is just as ineffective as under-communicating, and parents will find it impossible to keep up, if they don't tune out entirely. By giving parents the power to opt into the communication "channels"―however your school is able to define them―that are relevant to them, they will feel a much greater level of control and ability to truly engage.

9. Provide actionable information: Providing information for the sake of keeping parents up-to-date is recommended, but schools also need to make sure they are sharing information that parents can act on. This can include opportunities for parents to support or prepare their child for classroom assignments, or information about upcoming extracurricular activities and special events.

10. Share the positive: Often, communication will focus on the basics such as daily schedules, homework assignments, upcoming events and in some cases behavioral updates. Parents may dread the rare phone call home, so it's important to find opportunities to communicate good news, as well.

School Communications as the Glue

A strong school culture leads to a thriving school community where every teacher, parent, and student has the opportunity to connect and be actively engaged, and that culture starts with communication. Therefore, a school-wide focus on communication is key to creating equitable opportunity for all parents and students. A whole-school communications plan ensures that all faculty members are conveying important information in an accessible way, and making sure all parents have access to school-based opportunities. With these strategies in mind, you can transform school communications and experience a new level of parent engagement.

For more, see:

Jennifer Larson is co-founder and CEO of Hive Digital Minds, the creators of . She is a technology entrepreneur, charter public school founder, and mother of four. Follow Jennifer on Twitter @startupjen
Featured image is the Parent & Community Center at Valley High, Santa Ana USD Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive our weekly newsletter, Smart Update.

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10 Strategies for Schools to Improve Parent Engagement

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By Jennifer Larson - The key to improving parent engagement is a consistent and simplified flow of communication between school, home and all other stakeholders.

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Students interpret the term and what it means to them. Some beautiful terminology used here.

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Teresse Lewis discusses the importance of teaching resilience to children from the beginning and not as a response to adverse circumstances.

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How to build resilient children | Teresse Lewis | TEDxTemecula

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A short read on strategies that can be used to promote positive connections and build resilience.

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Creating a supportive school climate is the first step to developing long-term student achievement. When students feel like they have someone to turn to with questions or concerns, they're more likely to develop the confidence and motivation they need to succeed. And parental involvement is the most effective way to fostering that climate.[1]

Many parents would like to get involved with their child's school but don't know where to start. As an educator, it's up to you to connect families with opportunities for engagement and student support. The more you can connect with each family on a personal level, the higher the performance rate for your entire class will be.[2] Learn how to connect parents with the tools they need and how regular connection can revolutionize your school.

Offering Parental Involvement Opportunities in Schools

When teachers connect with parents using the same generic methods, parents tend to view them as authoritative and distant.[3] That's why varying the ways you reach out can significantly improve parent involvement in education. Try these strategies to connect with parents in the classroom and establish lasting relationships. And, if you're not sure which strategy would best fit a certain family, feel free to ask them!

After-School Activities

Other school activity ideas include:

Award ceremonies

Class parties

After-school clubs

Talent shows

Movie nights

Most schools schedule parent-teacher conference once or twice a semester, but you can get creative with how you bring parents into your classroom. Open houses, school festivals, and holiday celebrations are a few ways to connect parents with the school community. If you want, you can even involve parents in the planning process to invest them in classroom activities.

If you're worried about a specific student, you can also set up an individual parent teacher meeting anytime during the year. Discussing any academic or social-emotional concerns with parents can nip any issues in the bud before they become a problem. You can also make a plan for improvement that involve the family's values or goals.

Connection to School Resources

Putting parents in touch with school resources can make your connections with them meaningful and individualized. Keep an eye out for ways families or specific students are struggling and brainstorm ways your school could help. If a student's falling behind in math, for example, suggest to their parents that they attend an after-school math lab. Or, if a family is struggling financially, connect them to the school counselor to discuss free or reduced lunch programs.

This will help families realize how many resources are available to schools, which will encourage them to involve themselves and participate more often. It can also encourage parent teacher partnerships by showing parents that you care about their needs and are looking out for ways to help.

Parent Volunteering

Have a field trip coming up? Send out parent volunteering sheets to bring parents along! Families will feel more involved in the school community with hands-on involvement. Plus, taking parents along to special events can help them develop a positive perspective of teachers and their child's class.

Even if you don't have any activities coming up, having a parent volunteer for 1 to 2 hours a week can take some pressure off your shoulders if you don't have a teacher's aide. If you can work together with parents in class, they'll feel more comfortable coming to you with questions. And, the more time they spend at school, the better they can support their student's academic progress.

Parent Trainings or Workshops

Even parents who want to be involved in their child's academics might not know where to start. As an educator, you can facilitate parent trainings or workshops to teach them how.

Parent trainings, workshops, or classes can provide parents with the following information:

Promoting a learning environment at home

Monitoring a student's class progress

Watching for academic under-resourced signs

Encouraging positive homework or study habits

Teaching students how to create academic goals

If parents can't make it to training sessions, bring the workshop to them. Webinars can engage parents in a face-to-face way while also allowing for convenience and flexibility in location. And, unlike pre-recorded videos, you can still engage in face-to-face discussion on important topics.

Parent-Teacher Committees

When parents feel like they can make a difference in their child's education, they're much more likely to engage at school. If your school has a parent-teacher association, connect parents with sign-up information and meeting times during the first months of school. This will give parents an outlet to make their voice heard and keep them up-to-date with class events. If they involve themselves regularly with parent-teacher committees, they may even help you plan and implement these events.

Expanding Connection Beyond School Events

Parent teacher connection doesn't have to stop with the classroom. With the help of technology or transportation, you can connect with parents from the comfort of their homes. Use these strategies to facilitate parent teacher relationships in a setting that works best for them.

Apps and Websites

Parents appreciate when they can monitor their child's progress and connect with teachers when they have concerns. You can connect parents with this information through a variety of mediums. Online student portals, teacher parent communication apps, and emails are all easy ways to keep parents in touch.

While in-person connections are always ideal, online tracking systems can help parents and teachers connect if transportation or scheduling issues arise. If you can, choose a medium that allows parents and teachers to message or otherwise collaborate online. Include notes about their child's academic and social-emotional progress, and check your messages regularly for questions from parents.

Parent Surveys

Not sure what to put in a parent survey? Here are a few topics to start with:

Send out a parent survey at the beginning of the year and after each quarter or semester. Parent surveys encourage involvement by showing that you value their opinions.

As you incorporate their feedback, families may also feel more comfortable in your classroom. You may be surprised at how insightful parental feedback is for improving your school culture.

If possible, try to include a mix of both multiple-choice and free response questions. That way, you can take polls on simple questions while giving parents space to make their opinions heard.

Social Media

Young parents, particular digital natives, prefer and respond best to tech-based teacher connections.[4] Social media in particular is a helpful and often underused way to inform parents about upcoming events and encourage communication. You can also help foster connections between parents as you build an online community.

Facebook groups are the most popular way to encourage parent engagement, but you could also try Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, or whatever outlet parents are most comfortable with in your class. If you're not sure which medium to use, send a survey to determine the most popular option.

Home Visits

Home visits are also shown to have the following benefits:[6]

Improve student behavior

Strengthen study habits

Promote higher academic progress

Build relationships between parents and teachers

If parents don't have the time to visit school, meet them in the middle and schedule a meeting at their home. A study conducted by John Hopkins University found that routine home visits can reduce chronic absenteeism by up to 24 percent fewer missed classes per year.[5]

Home visits can not only improve student, parent, and teacher relations, but give you a better idea of a student's home life. If parents are uncomfortable with meeting at home, be flexible. Meeting at a cafe or scheduling a "virtual home visit" via a web conference can provide similar benefits.

How Parent Teacher Connection Bridges the Achievement Gap

Teachers who prioritize parent engagement often notice the following student effects:

Better classroom behavior[9]

Higher grades[10] and standardized test scores[11]

Improved confidence and mental health[12]

Higher student motivation[13]

Reduced classroom discipline[14]

Why put in all the effort to connect individually with parents in- and outside of the classroom? Connection is so strongly tied to student success that it can predict how a student does in school.[7] The more parents and teachers connect, the lower your classroom's achievement gap becomes.[8] And, conversely, students are put at an academic disadvantage without parent teacher connection.

Parent connection is also a key stepping stone to creating parent partnerships. Connecting individually with each parent increases not just the level of parent involvement but also the quality.[10] Parents report trusting teachers more and understand the role schools play in their child's life.[3] They're also more likely to become advocates for education and seek leadership positions in parent-teacher associations or committees.[15] Ultimately, connection helps cultivate a school climate where students feel supported by an environment at home and in class that facilitates learning.

How to Improve Your School Climate with Connection

Parents and teachers form a support system for students throughout the school year. By taking simple steps every day to connect with parents, you can significantly improve your school climate.

Use these parent involvement ideas to build long-term partnerships through meaningful connections:

Provide plenty of opportunities for home-school connections through parent teacher meetings, open houses, classroom volunteers, and other activities

Connect with parents in-person as much as possible and collaborate with tech-based connection as a supplement

Encourage parents to use online school portals, class websites, or parent teacher apps to connect them with their student's academic progress

Connect with each family in some way at least twice a month to strengthen parent teacher relationships

Involve parents more in decision-making processes (such as teacher goals) through community meetings with a mix of parents and faculty

Sources:
Hong, S. (2011, March). A Cord of Three Strands: A New Approach to Parent Engagement in Schools.Harvard Education Press.[1]

Henderson, A., & Berla, N. (1995). A New Generation of Evidence: The Family Is Critical to Student Achievement. Washington, DC: Center for Law and Education, pp. 14-16.[2]

Gulosino, C.A., & Xu, Z. (1999). The parents' perspective on parent‐teacher roles and relationships. Educational. 41 (3). pp. 315-28.[3]

Thompson, B.C., Mazer, J.P., & Grady, E.F. (2015, February 23). The Changing Nature of Parent-Teacher Communication: Mode Selection in the Smartphone Era. Communication Education. 64 (2). pp. 187-207.[4]

Sheldon, S. B., & Jung, S. B. (2015). The Family Engagement Partnership Student Outcome Evaluation. Johns Hopkins University, School of Education.[5]

Stetson, R., Stetson, E., Sinclair, B., & Nix, K. (2012). Home Visits: Teacher Reflections about Relationships, Student Behavior, and Achievement.Issues in Teacher Education. 21 (1). pp. 21-27.[6]

Gulosino, C.A., & Xu, Z. (2006, August 20). How Does Teacher Quality Matter? The Effect of Teacher-Parent Partnership on Early Childhood Performance in Public and Private Schools.Education Economics. 14 (3). pp. 345-67.[7]

Lawson, M.A., & Alameda-Lawson, T. (2012, August 1). A Case Study of School-Linked, Collective Parent Engagement.Binghampton University Department of Human Development. 49 (4). pp. 651-84.[8]

Sheridan, S.M., Boviard, J.A., Glover, T.A., Garbacz, S.A., Witte, A., & Kwon, K. (2012). A Randomized Trial Examining the Effects of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation and the Mediating Role of the Parent-Teacher Relationship.School Psychology Review. 41 (1). pp. 23-46.[9]

Sheridan, S.M., Knoche, L.L., Kupzyk, K.A., Edwards, C.P., & Marvin, C.A. (2011, June). A randomized trial examining the effects of parent engagement on early language and literacy. Journal of School Psychology. 49 (2). pp. 361-83.[10]

Redding, S., Langdon, J., Meyer, J., & Sheley, P. (2004, November). The Effects of Comprehensive Parent Engagement on Student Learning Outcomes.Harvard Family Research Project.[11]

King, G., Currie, M., & Petersen, P. (2014, February). Child and parent engagement in the mental health intervention process: a motivational framework.Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 19 (1). pp. 2-8.[12]

Pirchio, S., Tritrini, C., Ylenia, P., & Taeschner, T. (2013). The Role of the Relationship between Parents and Educators for Child Behaviour and Wellbeing.International Journal about Parents in Education. 7 (2). pp. 145-55.[13]

Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, M.J., & Hammond, M. (2010, June 7). Preventing Conduct Problems, Promoting Social Competence: A Parent and Teacher Training Partnership in Head Start.Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. 30 (3). pp. 283-302.[14]

Adams, K.S., & Christenson, S.L. (2000). Trust and the Family-School Relationship Examination of Parent-Teacher Differences in Elementary and Secondary Grades. Journal of School Psychology. 38 (5). pp. 477-97.[15]

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How to Increase Parental Involvement with Connection - Waterford.org

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Creating a supportive school climate is the first step to developing long-term student achievement. When students feel like they have someone to turn to with questions or concerns, they're more likely to develop the confidence and motivation they need to succeed.

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Margaret Finders and Cynthia Lewis dive into some of the hinderances preventing parents from being more involved with their children's education. An excellent read that challenges looking through another lens.

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Instead of assuming that absence means noncaring, educators must understand the barriers that hinder some parents from participating in their child's education.

In our roles as teachers and as parents, we have been privy to the conversations of both teachers and parents. Until recently, however, we did not acknowledge that our view of parental involvement conflicts with the views of many parents. It was not until we began talking with parents in different communities that we were forced to examine our own deeply seated assumptions about parental involvement.

From talking with Latino parents and parents in two low-income Anglo neighborhoods, we have gained insights about why they feel disenfranchised from school settings. In order to include such parents in the educational conversation, we need to understand the barriers to their involvement from their vantage point, as that of outsiders. When asked, these parents had many suggestions that may help educators re-envision family involvement in the schools.

The Institutional Perspective

The institutional perspective holds that children who do not succeed in school have parents who do not get involved in school activities or support school goals at home. Recent research emphasizes the importance of parent involvement in promoting school success (Comer 1984, Lareau 1987). At the same time, lack of participation among parents of socially and culturally diverse students is also well documented (Clark 1983, Delgado-Gaitan 1991).

The model for family involvement, despite enormous changes in the reality of family structures, is that of a two-parent, economically self-sufficient nuclear family, with a working father and homemaker mother (David 1989). As educators, we talk about "the changing family," but the language we use has changed little. The institutional view of nonparticipating parents remains based on a deficit model. "Those who need to come, don't come," a teacher explains, revealing an assumption that one of the main reasons for involving parents is to remediate them. It is assumed that involved parents bring a body of knowledge about the purposes of schooling to match institutional knowledge. Unless they bring such knowledge to the school, they themselves are thought to need education in becoming legitimate participants.

Administrators, too, frustrated by lack of parental involvement, express their concern in terms of a deficit model. An administrator expresses his bewilderment: Our parent-teacher group is the foundation of our school programs.... This group (gestures to the all Anglo, all-women group seated in the library) is the most important organization in the school. You know, I just don't understand why those other parents won't even show up.

Discussions about family involvement often center on what families lack and how educators can best teach parents to support instructional agendas at home (Mansbach 1993). To revise this limited model for interaction between home and school, we must look outside of the institutional perspective.

The Voices of "Those Other Parents"

We asked some of "those other parents" what they think about building positive home/school relations. In what follows, parents whose voices are rarely heard at school explain how the diverse contexts of their lives create tensions that interfere with positive home/school relations. For them, school experiences, economic and time constraints, and linguistic and cultural practices have produced a body of knowledge about school settings that frequently goes unacknowledged.

Diverse school experiences among parents. Educators often don't take into account how a parent's own school experience may influence school relationships. Listen in as one father describes his son's school progress: They expect me to go to school so they can tell me my kid is stupid or crazy. They've been telling me that for three years, so why should I go and hear it again? They don't do anything. They just tell me my kid is bad.See, I've been there. I know. And it scares me. They called me a boy in trouble but I was a troubled boy. Nobody helped me because they liked it when I didn't show up. If I was gone for the semester, fine with them. I dropped out nine times. They wanted me gone. This father's experiences created mistrust and prevent him from participating more fully in his son's education. Yet, we cannot say that he doesn't care about his son. On the contrary, his message is urgent.

For many parents, their own personal school experiences create obstacles to involvement. Parents who have dropped out of school do not feel confident in school settings. Needed to help support their families or care for siblings at home, these individuals' limited schooling makes it difficult for them to help their children with homework beyond the early primary level. For some, this situation is compounded by language barriers and lack of written literacy skills. One mother who attended school through 6th grade in Mexico, and whose first language is Spanish, comments about homework that "sometimes we can't help because it's too hard." Yet the norm in most schools is to send home schoolwork with little information for parents about how it should be completed.

Diverse economic and time constraints. Time constraints are a primary obstacle for parents whose work doesn't allow them the autonomy and flexibility characteristic of professional positions. Here, a mother expresses her frustrations: Teachers just don't understand that I can't come to school at just any old time. I think Judy told you that we don't have a car right now.... Andrew catches a different bus than Dawn. He gets here a half an hour before her, and then I have to make sure Judy is home because I got three kids in three different schools. And I feel like the teachers are under pressure, and they're turning it around and putting the pressure on me cause they want me to check up on Judy and I really can't. Often, parents work at physically demanding jobs, with mothers expected to take care of child-care responsibilities as well as school-related issues. In one mother's words: What most people don't understand about the Hispanic community is that you come home and you take care of your husband and your family first. Then if there's time you can go out to your meetings. Other parents work nights, making it impossible to attend evening programs and difficult to appear at daytime meetings that interfere with family obligations and sleep.

At times, parents' financial concerns present a major obstacle to participation in their child's school activities. One mother expresses frustration that she cannot send eight dollars to school so her daughter can have a yearbook to sign like the other girls. I do not understand why they assume that everybody has tons of money, and every time I turn around it's more money for this and more money for that. Where do they get the idea that we've got all this money? This mother is torn between the pressures of stretching a tight budget and wanting her daughter to belong. As is the case for others, economic constraints prevent her child from full participation in the culture of the school. This lack of a sense of belonging creates many barriers for parents.

Diverse linguistic and cultural practices. Parents who don't speak fluent English often feel inadequate in school contexts. One parent explains that "an extreme language barrier" prevented her own mother from ever going to anything at the school. Cultural mismatches can occur as often as linguistic conflicts. One Latino educator explained that asking young children to translate for their parents during conferences grates against a cultural norm. Placing children in a position of equal status with adults creates dysfunction within the family hierarchy.

One mother poignantly expresses the cultural discomfort she feels when communicating with Anglo teachers and parents: [In] the Hispanic culture and the Anglo culture things are done different and you really don't know-am I doing the right thing? When they call me and say, `You bring the plates' [for class parties], do they think I can't do the cookies, too? You really don't know.

Voicing a set of values that conflicts with institutional constructions of the parent's role, a mother gives this culturally-based explanation for not attending her 12-year-old's school functions: It's her education, not mine. I've had to teach her to take care of herself. I work nights, so she's had to get up and get herself ready for school. I'm not going to be there all the time. She's gotta do it. She's a tough cookie.... She's almost an adult, and I get the impression that they want me to walk her through her work. And it's not that I don't care either. I really do. I think it's important, but I don't think it's my place.

This mother does not lack concern for her child. In her view, independence is essential for her daughter's success.

Whether it is for social, cultural, linguistic, or economic reasons, these parents' voices are rarely heard at school. Perhaps, as educators, we too readily categorize them as "those other parents" and fail to hear the concern that permeates such conversations. Because the experiences of these families vary greatly from our own, we operate on assumptions that interfere with our best intentions. What can be done to address the widening gap between parents who participate and those who don't?

Getting Involved: Suggestions from Parents

Parents have many suggestions for teachers and administrators about ways to promote active involvement. Their views, however, do not always match the role envisioned by educators. Possessing fewer economic resources and educational skills to participate in traditional ways (Lareau 1987), these parents operate at a disadvantage until they understand how schools are organized and how they can promote systemic change (Delgado-Gaitan 1991).

If we're truly interested in establishing a dialogue with the parents of all of our nation's students, however, we need to understand what parents think can be done. Here are some of their suggestions.

Clarify how parents can help. Parents need to know exactly how they can help. Some are active in church and other community groups, but lack information about how to become more involved in their children's schooling. One Latina mother explains that most of the parents she knows think that school involvement means attending school parties.

As Concha Delgado-Gaitan (1991) points out "... the difference between parents who participate and those who do not is that those who do have recognized that they are a critical part in their children's education." Many of the parents we spoke to don't see themselves in this capacity.

Encourage parents to be assertive. Parents who do see themselves as needed participants feel strongly that they must provide their children with a positive view of their history and culture not usually presented at school.

Some emphasize the importance of speaking up for their children. Several, for instance, have argued for or against special education placement or retention for their children; others have discussed with teachers what they saw as inappropriate disciplinary procedures. In one parent's words: Sometimes kids are taken advantage of because their parents don't fight for them. I say to parents, if you don't fight for your child, no one's going to fight for them.

Although it may sound as if these parents are advocating adversarial positions, they are simply pleading for inclusion. Having spent much time on the teacher side of these conversations, we realize that teachers might see such talk as challenging their positions as professional decision makers. Yet, it is crucial that we expand the dialogue to include parent knowledge about school settings, even when that knowledge conflicts with our own.

Develop trust. Parents affirm the importance of establishing trust. One mother attributes a particular teacher's good turnout for parent/teacher conferences to her ability to establish a "personal relationship" with parents. Another comments on her need to be reassured that the school is open, that it's OK to drop by "anytime you can."

In the opportunities we provide for involvement, we must regularly ask ourselves what messages we convey through our dress, gestures, and talk. In one study, for example, a teacher described her school's open house in a middle-class neighborhood as "a cocktail party without cocktails" (Lareau 1987). This is the sort of "party" that many parents wouldn't feel comfortable attending.

Fear was a recurrent theme among the parents we interviewed: fear of appearing foolish or being misunderstood, fear about their children's academic standing. One mother explained: Parents feel like the teachers are looking at you, and I know how they feel, because I feel like that here. There are certain things and places where I still feel uncomfortable, so I won't go, and I feel bad, and I think maybe it's just me.

This mother is relaying how it feels to be culturally, linguistically, and ethnically different. Her body of knowledge does not match the institutional knowledge of the school and she is therefore excluded from home/school conversations.

Build on home experiences. Our assumptions about the home environments of our students can either build or sever links between home and school. An assumption that "these kids don't live in good environments" can destroy the very network we are trying to create. Too often we tell parents what we want them to do at home with no understanding of the rich social interaction that already occurs there (Keenan et al. 1993). One mother expresses her frustrations: Whenever I go to school, they want to tell me what to do at home. They want to tell me how to raise my kid. They never ask me what I think. They never ask me anything.

When we asked parents general questions about their home activities and how these activities might build on what happens at school, most thought there was no connection. They claimed not to engage in much reading and writing at home, although their specific answers to questions contradicted this belief. One mother talks about her time at home with her teenage daughter: My husband works nights and sometimes she sleeps with me.... We would lay down in bed and discuss the books she reads.

Many of the parents we spoke to mentioned Bible reading as a regular family event, yet they did not see this reading in relation to schoolwork. In one mother's words: I read the Bible to the children in Spanish, but when I see they're not understanding me, I stop (laughing). Then they go and look in the English Bible to find out what I said.

Although the Bible is not a text read at public schools, we can build on the literacy practices and social interactions that surround it. For instance, we can draw upon a student's ability to compare multiple versions of a text. We also can include among the texts we read legends, folktales, and mythology-literature that, like the Bible, is meant to teach us about our strengths and weaknesses as we strive to make our lives meaningful.

As teachers, of course, we marvel at the way in which such home interactions do, indeed, support our goals for learning at school; but we won't know about these practices unless we begin to form relationships with parents that allow them to share such knowledge.

Use parent expertise. Moll (1992) underscores the importance of empowering parents to contribute " intellectually to the development of lessons." He recommends assessing the "funds of knowledge" in the community, citing a teacher who discovered that many parents in the Latino community where she taught had expertise in the field of construction. Consequently, the class developed a unit on construction, which included reading, writing, speaking, and building, all with the help of responsive community experts-the children's parents.

Parents made similar suggestions-for example, cooking ethnic foods with students, sharing information about multicultural heritage, and bringing in role models from the community. Latino parents repeatedly emphasized that the presence of more teachers from their culture would benefit their children as role models and would help them in home/school interactions.

Parents also suggested extending literacy by writing pen pal letters with students or involving their older children in tutoring and letter writing with younger students. To help break down the barriers that language differences create, one parent suggested that bilingual and monolingual parents form partnerships to participate in school functions together.

An Invitation for Involvement

Too often, the social, economic, linguistic, and cultural practices of parents are represented as serious problems rather than valued knowledge. When we reexamine our assumptions about parental absence, we may find that our interpretations of parents who care may simply be parents who are like us, parents who feel comfortable in the teacher's domain.

Instead of operating on the assumption that absence translates into non-caring, we need to focus on ways to draw parents into the schools. If we make explicit the multiple ways we value the language, culture, and knowledge of the parents in our communities, parents may more readily accept our invitations.

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