Teacher panel shares strategies for advancing student success through family engagement

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-leaders

Let’s meet a few members of the FASTalk Teacher Advisory Board:

• Mrs. Reza, 3rd Grade Teacher in East Fort Worth, Texas
• Ms. Madison, 1st Grade Teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana
• Mrs. Melissa, PK-3 Teacher in Many, Louisiana
• Mrs. Atkins, 1st Grade Teacher in Denver, Colorado
• Mrs. West, PK Grade Teacher in Stonewall, Louisiana
• Mrs. Loftin, Kindergarten Teacher in Logansport, Louisiana

Perspectives from Teacher Leaders

We’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 building

Ms. 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 Families

Mrs. 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 classroom

Mrs. 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 are

Mrs. 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 grows

Ms. 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 you

Mrs. 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 small

Mrs. 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 learning

Ms. 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 families

Mrs. 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 home

Mrs. 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.