12. Family engagement strategies are well-developed and give particular attention to reaching out to and engaging culturally and linguistically diverse families.
The measure of an effective family engagement program is not how many families of different races are involved in school activities, parent-teacher conferences or school-improvement teams. Rather it is whether the school reaches out to engage families in support of their children's learning. It is not surprising that some family members who have limited education or who have experienced discrimination may be distrustful and even confrontational. This can cause teachers to back away from engaging families. Nonetheless, to develop the trust of family members and to deeply understand students, it is helpful for teachers to get to know their students' families. This is a tall order for teachers, and it requires school level commitment and sufficient resource allocation within the school.
Explore these resources first...
Joyce Epstein talks about how engaging parents is not something extra—it is an essential element of effective teaching.
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Jeannie Oakes describes why teachers need to develop the capability to engage in cross-race interactions with families, some of whom may feel uneasy about their relations with schools.
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Read a review of research on the positive effects of parent and community engagement.
Examples of Effective Family Engagement Programs
Read an overview of James Comer's initiative, perhaps the best known approach to comprehensive school reform in urban areas that emphasizes family engagement.
View a video that describes a successful program for engaging racially and ethnically diverse families in the education of their children:
