The Phenomenal Power of Families

Mask protests and violent demonstrations against teaching critical race theory have dominated our news feeds, giving a false sense that these are the issues that are top of mind for families as we enter another school year in the grips of a pandemic. The loudest voices are not necessarily the most representative voices, as we found in our synthesis of over 60 articles, surveys, and research reports on parents’ and caregivers’ thoughts, behavior, priorities, and concerns related to schooling during the pandemic. What we uncovered serves as an important reminder of why we do the work we do at Family Engagement Lab. Families are an amazing power in every child’s education and we must continue to offer accessible and equitable ways to foster meaningful school-home partnership in support of student learning. 
 
This month, we will begin to share a series of articles on our blog about these important findings with examples of how Family Engagement Lab takes action to address them and with suggestions on how you can too. 

These learnings deepen our understanding of the needs and experiences of families today, providing critical insights that support our ability to equitably advance learning outcomes for all students through family engagement solutions. We hope you will join us in these efforts to support all families as children return to another school year that is like none other.

Finding 1: Parents are concerned about the effects of interrupted learning, with lower-income families expressing more concern than higher-income families.
 
Families are a powerful asset with the potential to accelerate learning at home, but they need critical information from schools to do so effectively. In addition to regularly measuring the development of key skills, it is essential that schools and teachers share information with families about how their children are doing, and how they can help at home in a way that is accessible and actionable. 
 
Families are eager for specific information on their child’s strengths and weaknesses and what they can do to support their child’s success. Reflect on your district’s or school’s plans for sharing key information with families to help their children succeed this school year:

• How are you giving all of your families the information and support they need to reinforce classroom learning at home? How are you going to involve parents in the classroom?
• What communication channels are you using to reach all families? 
• How are you ensuring the information you share is accessible and actionable for all families? 

 
You can learn more about how Family Engagement Lab fosters equity in this blog post. 
 
Learn More
As K-12 students return, schools shouldn't obsess over pandemic 'learning loss' (Berkeley News, August 11, 2021)
COVID-19, the educational equity crisis, and the opportunity ahead (Brookings Center Chalkboard, April 29, 2021) 

Footnotes
1.  Horowitz, J. M., (2020, April 15). Lower-income parents most concerned about their children falling behind amid COVID-19 school closures. Pew Research Center.