Increase Family and Community Engagement

CSF 5: Increase Family and Community Engagement

Family and community engagement calls for increased opportunities for parents and the community, as well as the necessity for effective communication and access to community services. Parent, family and community involvement has a direct correlation with academic achievement and school improvement. When school staff, parents, families, and surrounding communities work together to support academic achievement, students tend to earn higher grades, attend school longer and more regularly, and eventually enroll in programs of higher education (Barton, 2003).

Supporting Components

Key strategies establish the foundation for each Critical Success Factor. The activities supporting each CSF must be thoughtfully developed by stakeholders to ensure each campus initiative is successful. The strategies noted here, when implemented correctly, can support the development of each Critical Success Factor. While the following is not a definitive list, the evidence-based components provided here are proven to show a high rate of success.

  • Flexible Scheduling
  • Instructionally-focused Calendar
  • Staff Collaborative Planning

ESEA Turnaround Principle: Ongoing Family and Community Engagement
Providing mechanisms for family and community engagement

Resources

Web pages

Articles

  • Family-School-Community Partnerships 2.0- Collaborative Strategies to Advance Student Learning
    SEDL outlines 10 strategies that are the foundation for creating effective partnerships, like building one-to-one relationships between families and teachers that are linked to learning. That tactic was the key to success for the Parent-Teacher Home Visit Project in Sacramento, which is now being replicated in school districts across the country with support from NEA. The program grew out of a desire to disrupt the cycle of blame between families and schools, and it is now recognized as a national model.
  • SEDL’s  Studies: A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community
    The evidence is consistent, positive, and convincing: families have a major influence on their children’s achievement in school and through life. This fourth edition of Evidence confirms that the research continues to grow and build an ever-strengthening case. When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more.

Books

  • The Abundant Community – John McKnight and Peter Block
  • Building Family, School and Community Partnerships – Kay Wright, Dolores A. Stegelin and Lynn Hartle
  • Building School Community Partnership – Mavis G. Sanders
  • Engage All Families: Creating a Positive School Culture by Putting Research into Practice – Steve M. Constantino
  • Parents on Your Side – Lee Canter and Marlene Carter
  • Stopping at Every Lemonade Stand – James Vollbacht

Videos

Tools/Activities