AUTHOR: Elisabeth O'Bryon Family engagement in learning has a powerful impact on students’ academic success. A growing literature base demonstrates that family engagement promotes wide-ranging positive student outcomes, including second language learning, motivation, and academic achievement, as well as increased on-time high school completion and lower rates of high school dropout. And the influence of families is significant, with research revealing that the home learning environment can have more than twice the effect on student learning than either parents’ education levels or socio-economic status. Critically, early parent engagement can start a positive cycle of continued family engagement over time, sustaining achievement gains and student motivation, which highlights the importance of establishing strong home-school partnership from the beginning of students’ educational journeys. Parental Involvement of Family Engagement?While the terms parental involvement and family engagement are often seen, at Family Engagement Lab, we believe that family engagement is a more inclusive and encompassing term for how parents, caregivers, and families interact with the school system to support their child’s learning. The shift from involvement to engagement represents a deeper level of partnership and collaboration between educators and families. Our approach to family engagement builds off of the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnership, which highlights how relationships between educators and parents are central to supporting student’s learning outcomes. The Impact Parental Involvement on Academic SuccessActive involvement of parents and families in children’s education is also associated with critical school-level factors that support student success. For example, recent research from Harvard, TNTP and Learning Heroes revealed that schools with strong family engagement practices had 6 percentage points less chronic absenteeism than similar schools without. Moreover, The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research identified involved families as one of five essential factors to improving school outcomes. Most strikingly, researchers noted that “a persistent weakness in even just one of the essential factors reduced the likelihood of school improvement to less than 10%,” underscoring how critical family engagement is for successful schools and positive student learning outcomes. Challenges in Parent-School CommunicationUnfortunately, a number of challenges can make regular, meaningful two-way communication and collaboration between teachers and families difficult. For example, limited time is a barrier for both teachers and parents who have demanding schedules as well as wide-ranging responsibilities and commitments. Families’ technology access is another potential obstacle that can impede communication between school and home. Families without reliable internet access or technology devices may have difficulty staying informed and engaged. These and other obstacles such as limited teacher training in family engagement and a mismatch between teachers’ and families’ home language can prevent families from receiving the accessible, actionable, learning-focused information that they are eagerly looking for and that ultimately promotes student learning. Introducing FASTalk: Bridging the Communication GapAddressing parent-school communication challenges requires proactive efforts to understand the specific needs of families in the school community. With key information from families about communication preferences (i.e., type of information families are looking for, preferred channels of communication, preferred language, etc.), schools can establish equitable effective communication practices that can foster a culture of collaboration and partnership with families to support student success. School parent communication software designed to equitably facilitate family engagement in learning can play a meaningful role in supporting schools’ and families’ efforts to partner. Indeed, we have seen this firsthand at Family Engagement Lab with our signature tool, FASTalk (Families and Schools Talk). Features and Benefits of Using School Parent Communication SoftwareDistricts and Schools should consider parental school communication software that takes into consideration the needs and perspectives of families, while also reducing teacher workload. Most importantly, these school parent communication software should be proven through rigorous evaluation to improve student outcomes. FASTalk builds partnerships between teachers and historically underserved families by sharing engaging, at-home learning activities via text messages in each family's home language. FASTalk has wide-ranging benefits for parents, teachers, and students: Parent-specific benefits: Through regular text messages that describe what students are learning and simple ways to help – all delivered in one of 100+ home languages – FASTalk builds parents’ knowledge of at-home learning strategies and an understanding of what their child is learning at school. FASTalk also opens critical lines of communication with teachers while promoting equitable access to home learning resources. Families are also invited by SMS to share their observations about their child’s learning with the teacher to support personalized instruction in the classroom. Teacher-specific benefits: FASTalk helps teachers share research-based content and engage diverse families in students’ learning. FASTalk is coordinated with the school’s academic calendar and supports two-way messaging with language translation. Our learning activities are written by former classroom teachers with subject matter expertise, professionally translated into each family’s home language, and scheduled in advance to save teachers time. Teachers have access to a web app and mobile app to preview the scheduled messages and send and receive their own text messages with families that are translated on the fly by Google Translate, which can help overcome language barriers that can prevent parents and teachers from engaging in regular, ongoing, two-way communication and can hinder their ability to jointly collaborate to support student success. Student-specific benefits: Multiple quasi-experimental research studies of FASTalk have linked FASTalk to improved student academic achievement, particularly for students furthest behind their peers and for students whose parents do not share a common language with their teacher. More FASTalk students meet literacy benchmarks, achieve greater gains on literacy assessments, and demonstrate accelerated report card growth than their peers who do not. FASTalk accelerates and improves students’ literacy achievement in grades TK-K and 3-5 compared to similar non-users, especially when families use the tool more often and when parents do not share a language with their child’s teacher. Success Stories: FASTalk in ActionA closer look at FASTalk’s implementation in New Orleans’ Morris Jeff Community School provides a powerful example of FASTalk’s impact in an urban school community. FASTalk helped 98% of families find new ways to support their child’s learning - and more! Hear from families and educators in Louisiana about their experiences using a learning-focused school parent communication software. With FASTalk, families are incorporating learning into the home environment - reinforcing classroom instruction through weekly curriculum-aligned tips, activities, and conversation starters. Importantly, FASTalk is meeting a unique need for families. A 2023 survey found that 85% of FASTalk families report that FASTalk is the only place that they receive learning-focused information and activities to support their child. And this is despite their schools using up to seven other tools to communicate with families. Parents tell us they not only “enjoy knowing what is going on” with their child but also feel “more connected” to their child, the teacher, and the school. FASTalk helps them “reiterate concepts that were presented in class in a home setting,” helping “turn everyday life into fun learning.” Teachers also report that FASTalk saves them time and breaks down common family-teacher communication barriers. How to Implement FASTalk in your SchoolFASTalk is an innovative school parent communication software that makes it easy for teachers to translate classroom instruction into tips and activities families can use to prompt learning-focused conversations outside of school. We’ve found that families are ready and willing to support when they have insight into what their child is learning, how their child is progressing, and access to tips for how they can help. Engaged families lead to successful students.
Family Engagement Lab works closely with our district partners to ensure that platform is customized to meet their curricular needs. Our dedicated customer success representatives ensure that every partnership is successful by providing support with FASTalk configuration, training for teacher-users, and implementation materials for schools. Connect with our team to learn more. Learning-focused family engagement is an emerging priority for K-12 learning. Several announcements signal a shift in the K-12 education landscape and the teaching profession. We’ll explore the implications of this shift and how districts can stay ahead of these changes to ensure that students are thriving academically. Federal and state announcements signal changes in K-12 educationDoubling-down on proven solutionsThe Biden-Harris administration has signaled a strong commitment to advancing the state of education through investments in the Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFEC) Programs and the 2024 Improving School Achievement Agenda. Continued investment in the SFEC programs ensures continuation of statewide efforts to meaningfully engage families in learning. The 2024 Improving School Achievement Agenda affirms the critical need in K-12 education to support initiatives that have demonstrated proven impact on student achievement. The administration recently announced an extension of ESSER funds use, with the stipulation that school systems utilize funds to implement proven solutions in three priority areas: addressing chronic absenteeism, providing personalized learning support, and offering extended learning opportunities. These announcements emphasize the important role that effective family engagement strategies can have on boosting attendance and supporting student learning. California recognizes the potential of the teacher-parent relationshipThe California Commission on Teacher Credentialing approved a revised set of Standards for the Teaching Profession, which are slated to be adopted in the 2025-26 school year. The most notable additions to the standards include: culturally responsive teaching, social-emotional learning, and family engagement. The standards will require teachers to adopt effective strategies for communicating and creating relationships with families. While this change will be taking effect in the state of California, this signals a shift in the education system towards prioritizing families as a key stakeholder in learning. Insights from district leaders underscore importance of attendance, and surface needs around supporting teachers.Our own research with district and school stakeholders has revealed an increasing sense of urgency and prioritization in the following areas:
What's needed for student success: aligning instruction, academic interventions, and family engagement to deliver coherent learning experiencesDistricts and schools have focused their efforts on delivering coherent learning experiences for students that align high-quality instruction with tailored interventions to address individual student needs. Yet, this approach overlooks a critical stakeholder in student success: families. Moving from fragmented solutions to an aligned strategy will require district and school leaders to:
Equipping and supporting teachers in delivering high-quality instructionTeachers have entirely too much on their plates to fit into the school day. They carry the responsibility of preparing and delivering effective lessons, assessing student learning and making adjustments to instruction, managing their classrooms, addressing behavioral challenges, providing personalized support to students…. and the list goes on. District and school leaders must find ways to ensure that teachers feel supported and successful. Adopting high-quality instructional materials can help streamline lesson planning and selecting assessment solutions that improve the grading experience will go a long way to help lighten teachers’ workload. Additionally, implementing technology solutions that support classroom management in increasingly complex digital learning environments helps improve the instructional experience for teachers and students. Implementing proven solutions for individualized supportIn addition to providing support to teachers to improve direct instruction, schools are also focused on implementing programs that provide individualized support to students. Many schools have elected to deliver programs like high-dosage tutoring, which extend teacher capacity and provide additional touchpoints for students to engage with learning materials and reinforce important concepts. The Biden-Harris announcement emphasizes the importance of programs that offer additional touchpoints for learning, including extended day and summer learning opportunities. More significant emphasis on family engagement to support student successDistrict and school leaders will prioritize family engagement as a critical component of their student success plans, with an emphasis on strategies that meaningfully engage families in their child’s learning. The Biden-Harris fact sheet calls out home-visit programs specifically, and we believe that districts should also consider adopting solutions that support consistent learning-focused family communication, and programs to build family capacity to support with Math and ELA. When districts implement parent teacher communication software that provides consistent and actionable learning-focused communication to parents and families, the student academic gains are remarkable. When families are equipped with tips and activities to support what their child is learning, they can play a significant role in accelerating academic success and shaping mindsets about learning. Family Engagement Lab helps districts and schools make the most of their family engagement strategy.Connect with us to explore how to accelerate academic achievement through family engagement.
School leaders at Morris Jeff Community School recognized an opportunity to leverage innovative technology to engage families to support early literacy development. Recognizing an opportunity to meet families where they areSchool closures in 2020 prompted a lot of creative thinking around classroom instruction and extending learning outside of the classroom. Many families found themselves playing a more active role in their child’s learning. Leaders at Morris Jeff Community School were determined to meet families where they were (at home!) to equip them with learning-focused tips and activities that families could use to engage with their child around learning. Fast forward to 2024, teachers and families at Morris Jeff Community School continue to partner to support early literacy. So, what family engagement solution did they find?Lisa Sirgo, Elementary Principal at Morris Jeff Community School, attended a webinar where she learned about Family Engagement Lab’s signature tool FASTalk. A few things stood out;
After four years of partnership, Lisa has shared that FASTalk is a “Great way to get families involved in literacy and share what is developmentally appropriate. It takes something off of teachers' plates to engage with families, especially the ones that are hungry for activities to support students at home.” FASTalk at a GlanceFamily Engagement Lab believes that essential learning happens at the intersection of high-quality instruction and opportunities for creating real world connections. Families are a key, but often under leveraged, stakeholder in helping children make meaning of the concepts they are learning in the classroom. When schools effectively equip families to support, the results are astonishing. FASTalk is an evidence-based tool that was designed to bridge the gap between classroom instruction and opportunities for reinforcement that extend beyond the school walls. FASTalk facilitates seamless and consistent learning-focused communication between schools and families. Our messages translate high-quality instructional materials into insights and activities that families can use to support their child’s learning outside of the classroom. Wondering how you can make the most of your family engagement strategy?In our last post, we shared a summary of strategies to improve parent-teacher communication in large school districts. Today, we’ve asked teachers to share their perspectives and experiences with family engagement in the context of their classroom. Read more to learn more about the high-impact family engagement strategies that these teachers are implementing and the connection with accelerated learning and student success. What is high-impact family engagement?Decades of research has revealed that families play an essential role in the learning and development of their children. In fact, parent and family involvement in at-home learning has more than twice the effect on student achievement than parents’ education levels or socioeconomic status (Melhuish et al, 2008). Educators have a unique opportunity to engage families as part of their extended “student success team,” and our experience in the field suggests that there are some simple yet effective strategies to do so. Building off of the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnership, Family Engagement Lab believes that high-impact family engagement is collaborative, builds on the assets of both educators and families, and is focused on student learning. Our approach is guided by input from Teacher-leadersLet’s meet a few members of the FASTalk Teacher Advisory Board:
Perspectives from Teacher LeadersWe’ve asked these FASTalk super users to share more about their experiences with engaging families and how that connects with student success. We’ll dive into the reasons they prioritize family engagement, their recommendations for where to start, and how they’re using a teacher parent communication tool like FASTalk to build relationships with families centered around student learning. You have a lot on your plate and you’re often managing competing requests for your time. Why are you prioritizing family engagement?Learning often happens beyond the school buildingMs. Madison shared that in her experience, without family engagement there isn’t as much academic success, acknowledging that ‘learning doesn’t all happen in the classroom’. To make the most of family engagement, it is important to get really specific with families about what they can do to support. Ms. Madison also noted that it is rewarding to see how proud parents are of their children. ‘Student Success Team’ should include Teachers and FamiliesMrs. Reza refers to a triangle of people involved in learning; students, teachers, and families. She notes students’ growth is dependent on involving parents so that they can support their child at home, and ultimately that supports the teacher in the classroom. Strong relationships between families and the teacher are a game changer. Mrs. Reza also shares that ‘families love to know about their student’s progress and the more the teacher shares the better the results.” Engaged families are at the core of a healthy classroomMrs. Atkins noted that family engagement is core to a healthy classroom and that it is important to over communicate and connect. Her 13 years of experience teaching first grade has taught Ms. Atkins that you can see the impact when you don’t have a strong relationship with the parent or family member that is in charge. This sentiment is echoed by Mrs. Loftin. As a kindergarten teacher for 18 years, Mrs. Loftin has come to understand that in order for kids to learn, their parents must know what’s going on in the classroom. If they don’t know what is going on, then they are not able to support their kids. What would you recommend to other teachers who want to prioritize family engagement, but don't know where to start?Meet families where they areMrs. Loftin suggests starting with making connections and building relationships with families. She notes that it can be helpful to attend school and community events as they offer opportunities to connect outside of the classroom to build relationships. Taking an interest in students’ interests is another important way to demonstrate that you care, and parents will notice. Mrs. Loftin also noted that making an effort to reach out to check in with families can go a long way, she mentioned “families don’t know what they don’t know and oftentimes won’t feel comfortable to make the first contact, so it helps for you to reach out first.” Balanced communication includes glows and growsMs. Reza shared a few guiding principles and recommendations for teachers who are looking to start communicating and engaging their families: always have something positive to say about the student. If you start with 2 positives and a photo, then you can share a growth area. Leverage the resources and supports available to youMrs. Melissa recommends tapping into the support network at the school. This includes grade-level lead teachers and parental coordinators at the school to gather information and look for support with family communication. Working in collaboration with others can help reduce the amount of time and energy spent drafting communication. Keep it simple, and start with something smallMrs. Atkins recommends starting at a smaller scale that is more management. She has found success with sending home notes and quick text messages. If you’re not sure where to start, then think of something quick. A text message is just as effective as a full phone call, and can sometimes be more direct and better at keeping the communication on track. What was happening in your world when you realized the value of a family engagement tool like FASTalk?FASTalk helps Teachers meaningfully engage families in student learningMs. Madison shared that, "FASTalk has helped me engage with families in so many ways: as reminders for parents to review student work and tests, or fill out field trip slips, to more advanced individual reports about students glows and grows. FASTalk helps promote student success by engaging families in student learning. I see a huge progress in the students whose families respond to the messages and do the fun activities. Learning skills starts in the classroom but it takes a village to build lifelong learners that will be successful community members." FASTalk helps Teachers realize student success through relationship-building with familiesMrs. Reza is a firm believer in building strong teacher-family and teacher-student relationships. When these relationships exist, the outcome is huge and positive. Mrs. Reza shares that “parents love to know about their students’ progress and want to know what is happening in the classroom. It leads to better results. For the past 2 years, I have had FASTalk and home visits and I’ve been benefiting with the two programs.” FASTalk helps translate classroom instruction (and language) for families to use at homeMrs. West noted that she recognized the importance of learning-focused family communication when she began receiving FASTalk messages as a parent. She notes that, “FASTalk really does reinforce skills and that’s what families need at home. The kids need to hear the same language. They need to hear it from their teacher and they also need to hear it from their parents.” Family Engagement Lab is committed to helping districts, schools, and educators build authentic relationships with families that are focused on learning, and lead to meaningful improvements in student achievement. Subscribe to our Learning Series for curated family engagement resources.
Author: Kelsey Hodge School districts across the country are grappling with a range of challenges, from budget deficits to persistent absenteeism, all of which are affecting student achievement. Decades of research has shown that parental involvement in student learning can make a meaningful difference on student achievement, attendance, and graduation rates (Melhuish et al., 2008). Transformative parental involvement begins with the relationships that are fostered through parent-teacher communication. By employing high-impact strategies for parent-teacher communication, teachers can create the conditions through which families and schools can partner to support student learning outcomes. Advantages of Effective Parent-Teacher CommunicationTeachers and schools invest significant effort in keeping parents informed about events, conferences, and report cards. However, these traditional forms of communication often fail to reach all families reliably or equitably, particularly in communities with limited internet access or greater linguistic diversity. When parent-teacher communication is accessible to all, collaborative, and focused on student learning, school districts are able to grapple with the challenges they face as students thrive. Advantages for studentsAs school districts work to close grade-level gaps and boost student achievement, student absenteeism and mental health challenges are on the rise. Study after study has demonstrated the marked impact that parent-teacher partnerships have on student well-being and academic achievement. Students benefit tremendously from stronger parent involvement in schools. When parents and teachers engage in regular dialogue about the importance of attendance, the child’s overall well-being, and academic progress, it also builds a strong foundation for strengthening parent- teacher relationships. Strong parent-teacher communication and partnership can enhance each child’s engagement in their own learning journey and sense of belonging in their school community. Advantages for parentsParents have a strong desire to support their children’s education but often the shortcomings of traditional communication leave them ill-equipped to do so. Families report receiving limited information from their child’s school about grade-level skills, their child’s mastery of those skills, and what they can do to support at home. By inviting parents to partner and developing a collaborative relationship through on-going communication, teachers can build parents’ confidence in supporting their child’s educational journey and create schools in which all families are welcomed as valuable community members. Advantages for teachersThe everyday demands of teaching can be isolating. The responsibilities teachers are juggling, from implementing new curriculum to grappling with chronic absenteeism, can lead to teacher burnout. Effective parent-teacher communication provides teachers with a sense of partnership that ensures that teachers feel supported knowing that the learning happening in their classroom is being reinforced by families and caregivers at home. With on-going, relational communication with parents, teachers can gain greater insight into their students and build a more diverse toolkit for responding to each child’s needs resulting in improved job satisfaction. Strategies to Improve Parent-Teacher CommunicationThe most effective parent-teacher communication is relational, directly linked to student learning, and builds the capacity of both parents, teachers, and school administrators.. Adopting high-impact strategies like those below can allow large districts and busy teachers to maximize their limited time and resources with the maximum benefit for their students and school communities. Ensure Learning-focused Communication is Accessible for All Students’ FamiliesIn order for every child to have the opportunity to succeed, communication must be accessible for all parents and caregivers. Take time to gather information about the parents and caregivers within the community and their specific needs around contact preferences, home language, and internet access. By putting families’ communication needs at the forefront of parent-teacher communication, parents and caregivers are more readily able to engage and feel included in their child’s education. Personalize Parent-Teacher Communication with Impactful & Effective MessagingDespite current teacher and school district communication efforts, parents are frequently left wondering about grade-level learning goals and if their child is on track to meet those goals. A child’s teacher has invaluable insight into student learning and sharing that insight through learning-focused communication promotes a sense of trust and deepens the partnership between teachers and families. Be intentional about sharing regular updates on classroom learning in a way that allows parents to meaningfully engage and support their child’s growth. Set up a Two-Way DialogueToo often traditional parent-teacher communication looks more like a news bulletin than a conversation. To foster partnerships between parents and teachers, it’s important for teachers to start by sharing when parents can expect to hear from them, what information will be shared, and how parents can contact them. Open the conversation by asking parents and caregivers questions about their child or their hopes and dreams for them in order to connect. Once established, a two-way dialogue between parents and teachers not only promotes connection and builds capacity but also results in more positive communication. Share Student Successes and Areas for GrowthAfter establishing relationships with parents through accessible, learning-focused, two-way dialogue, it becomes much easier for teachers to contact parents and have open, honest conversations about students’ performance on assessments and behavior. In fact, many parents express a deep desire to know more about their child’s areas for growth. When parent-teacher communication promotes partnership and equips parents with actionable information, it allows for joint problem-solving that improves student outcomes. As trust builds through sustained dialogue, teachers are more equipped to have transparent conversations around topics like the impact of frequent absences on student learning. How FASTalk Can Transform Parent-Teacher CommunicationFASTalk is an evidence-based parent-teacher communication tool that was designed to connect classroom instruction with at-home learning through a regular cadence of learning-focused information and activities delivered to families in their home language. FASTalk aims to remove the common barriers to parent engagement by ensuring learning-focused communication takes place weekly, in each family’s preferred language, and doesn’t require access to WiFi. FASTalk equips teachers with a tool they can use to communicate via text message with their students’ families in over 100 languages without having to share their personal cell phone numbers. Parent involvement can play a pivotal role in advancing student learning outcomes for district’s seeking solutions to rising challenges. Reach Parents in Their Preferred Language Through Direct TranslationsThe FASTalk team identifies the linguistic needs of each school community to ensure that the FASTalk text messages sent to families are professionally translated into the home languages of all caregivers. In addition, teachers can use FASTalk to engage in two-way translated communication with parents and caregivers in over 100 languages. As a result of the accessibility of FASTalk messages and parental involvement, students have experienced literacy gains, especially when their parents did not share a home language with the teacher. Provide Engaging and Simple Learning Activities for Parents to Try With Their ChildThe FASTalk tips and activities are designed specifically for families by curriculum experts to align with a school district’s curriculum and/or grade-level learning goals. The weekly FASTalk text messages give caregivers a window into classroom learning by sharing on-going information about key grade-level skills and ways that they can reinforce those skills. While there are numerous communication platforms available for teachers to communicate with families, 85% of FASTalk families report that FASTalk is the only place that they receive learning focused information and activities to support their child. Connect Directly With Parents Through Text MessagesThe FASTalk tips and activities are delivered straight to parents’ phones each week through SMS text message. There’s no computer or internet connection required for parents ensuring that any caregiver with access to a cell phone can engage in fun, on-the-go activities to support their child’s learning from anywhere.
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