Parents are their children’s first teachers. But this doesn’t mean that families are no longer important once formal schooling starts. In fact, research shows that parental involvement is closely related to student success in school. But how can we engage parents and families?
While many parents would love to be involved in their children’s education, the truth is that there can be many barriers. From busy schedules to language differences, this can make engaging parents at school difficult for educators. However, with the right tools, some creativity, and a flexible approach, teachers can still find many ways to get parents involved in the classroom throughout the school year.
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Why Engaging Parents Matters
The research is clear: strong parent-teacher relationships are key to student success. Parental involvement has a direct influence on long-term academic achievement, even more so than other factors like intelligence, according to a 2010 study.
Family involvement in education also contributes to students staying in school longer and enjoying school. The US Department of Education points to these benefits of parent engagement in the classroom:
- Better grades and test scores
- Enrollment in higher-level courses
- Better attendance
- Higher rates of graduation and post-secondary education
So, what’s the connection between family engagement and academic success? For students, parental involvement helps to boost confidence and build academic habits that can lead to success in school. When parents understand the curriculum and expectations at school, they can better support their children at home. For teachers, this also leads to better communication and support.
Family Involvement and Long-Term Outcomes
Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation
| Parental Involvement in HS | Percent Who Pursued/Earned a Bachelor’s |
|---|---|
| Highly involved | 80% |
| Not very involved | 56% |
Challenges Schools Face in Engaging Parents & Families
As beneficial as family engagement is for students’ success, it isn’t always easy. School-family communication challenges and other barriers to parental involvement exist.
Many families have packed schedules and language differences that get in the way of parental involvement. Family situations might be complex, with single parents or split custody arrangements, which can make communication difficult. Technology gaps can also be a problem, as not all households have access to reliable internet or the digital literacy needed to navigate email or online school-related content.
With all of these challenges, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always work. Instead, educators often need to find creative ways to foster positive relationships with parents and families, such as:
- Providing different communication options. If email isn’t ideal for some families, teachers can send home written notes or make phone calls.
- Keeping communications brief. With most families having such busy schedules, lengthy emails can become burdensome to read every week.
- Making volunteering in the classroom easy. Parents may not have the time or resources to plan an entire party, but stopping in to read a story doesn’t require much preparation.
By providing flexible opportunities for parent involvement, educators can build trust and support families as an integral part of their child’s education.
Family Engagement in Schools
Source: NCES Parent and Family Involvement in Education: 2023
| Activity | Percent of Parents Involved |
|---|---|
| Attended general school or PTO/Parent organization meeting | 83% |
| Attended a school or class event | 74% |
| Attended a regularly scheduled parent–teacher conference | 72% |
| Received phone calls about the student | 41% |
Creative Ways to Involve Families in School
Beyond promoting parent-teacher communication, educators can find creative ways to engage parents and families into the classroom. These opportunities for involvement don’t need to be complicated and can include activities already planned as part of the curriculum.
Classroom Volunteer Opportunities for Parents
Many parents are eager to volunteer in the classroom and offer additional support to their children’s teachers. This might include helping with daily tasks and activities, running centers, or providing resources for special projects. For younger students, classroom helper days or storytime guest readers are another great option.
- Family Learning Events: Getting the entire family learning together with STEM nights and reading challenges is an excellent way to promote engagement and reinforce material.
- Art Shows & Science Fairs: Students love to showcase their hard work for families and friends to see. Parents can get involved with science fair projects and gain a better understanding of what their child is working on in school.
- Career Day: Hosting a career day is a fun way for parents to share their expertise with the class and get students thinking about their futures. Alternatively, teachers can create opportunities for parents to share aspects of their careers as they relate to topics covered throughout the year. For example, a parent who is a firefighter might come in to talk about fire safety.
- Family Fun Nights: Simply having fun together is one way schools and families can promote social-emotional learning. Family game nights or movie screenings at school are a great option for this.
- Festivals & Celebrations: Cultural festivals, sports days, and class picnics are all great opportunities for family engagement. Classrooms can celebrate completing a unit or reaching a goal with a party that involves the whole family.
Parent/Teacher Communication Techniques
Encouraging parents to be involved in their child’s homework, tasks, projects, and overall academic progress can boost student morale and support teachers as they work to improve learning outcomes. But keeping parents involved means keeping them informed.
One of the ways schools have partnered with us to keep parents engaged is by using parent/teacher communication layouts in custom student planners.
By requiring parents to sign and date weekly assignment lists or even daily homework checklists, schools can keep parents in the loop about student progress, grades, and overall academic status without requiring digital tools or programs for families to keep track of. This supports students, families, and teachers with a low-cost solution that doesn’t lead to more digital overwhelm.
Request a quote today to learn more about how affordable custom planners can improve parent/teacher communication trends.
Engaging Parents & Families Outside of the Classroom
For busy families that may not have the time to volunteer inside the classroom, educators can still promote engagement at home. Remember that using multiple parent engagement strategies offers flexibility and allows more opportunities for involvement. Outside of the classroom, teachers can use the following approaches:
1. Digital Tools
Newsletters, class apps, and online portfolios are a great way for parents to see what students are working on in school. In newsletters, teachers can provide parents with questions to ask their child about a specific project or activity.
2. Two-Way Communication
Rather than providing one-way updates, teachers can encourage parents to be involved in their child’s education by communicating any updates, needs, or concerns directly. Outside of weekly newsletters, communication tools like school planners can serve as a bridge between home and school.
3. Virtual Events and Remote Opportunities
Working parents may not be able to attend school activities because of schedule conflicts. Making special events available to view virtually can remove this barrier for some families. Additionally, classrooms can offer volunteer work that can be done at home, such as organizing an event or fundraiser, helping with activity preparation, or managing the class website.
4. At-Home Learning Activities
Assigning homework activities that involve the family is another excellent way to encourage family involvement in learning. Some ideas that could align with classroom learning goals might be family history projects, working on an art or science project together, or reading together.
Partnering with Families as Co-Educators
Many parents are eager to be involved in the classroom when they are given opportunities that work for their lifestyle. Because of this, it’s important for educators to be inclusive and flexible, involving families in students’ learning goals and encouraging two-way communication.
When planning activities and opportunities for parent involvement in the classroom, teachers can build trust by being mindful of family circumstances, valuing feedback and concerns, and, if needed, offering translation or interpretation services. This way, educators can remove any barriers to family engagement that are within their control.
Viewing families as co-educators helps to foster a true parent-teacher partnership. With creativity, consistency, and flexibility, teachers can build a supportive learning environment that involves the whole family.