Family Engagement Lab
  • FASTalk
    • What We Do
    • FASTalk
    • Professional Learning
  • Impact
    • Impact
    • Families
  • Districts and States
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Funding Sources
    • Learning Series
  • About
    • About Us
    • Team
    • Supporters
    • Press
    • Events
    • Jobs
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Connect with Us
  • Donate

Blog

Guiding Questions for Journalists covering family engagement and learning

5/4/2021

 
Family Engagement Lab is proud to participate in the 2021 Education Writers Association National Seminar as part of the panel discussion, “Family Engagement in a Post-COVID Era.” We offer the following companion document for journalists covering family engagement, and focused on addressing this question:

How can reporters do a better job of understanding what drives engagement of parents, especially parents of color, in education and schools?

Families are passionate supporters of their children’s learning. In marginalized communities, including low-income communities and communities with a high percentage of families of color, it is sometimes assumed that families are less interested in their child’s education. Through our experiences at Family Engagement Lab, we have found that this can be a narrative that undermines the power and impact of families. To counter this narrative, it is critical to elevate the voices and perspectives of diverse families. Here are suggested questions for journalists covering stories related to family engagement.

Read More

The Importance of Parent-Teacher Relationships

5/1/2021

 

Parent-Teacher Relationships Impact Student Learning

Picture

Children thrive when their parents and teachers partner to support their learning and development. A good working relationship between parents and teachers forms the foundation so both can collaborate to respond to each child’s unique needs. ​

The Research Behind the Importance of Parent-Teacher Relationships 

The powerful link between parent-teacher relationships and student learning has been demonstrated in multiple studies. In Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago, the Consortium on Chicago School Research found that schools with strong connections with parents were 10 times more likely to improve in math and four times more likely to improve in reading than schools weak on this measure. Furthermore, in schools where connections with parents were weak, it undermined virtually all attempts at improving student learning.

Strong relationships can be empowering for both parents and teachers. A few years ago, I met an elementary school parent who explained, “Teachers have to see parents ask them things, so that teachers have the confidence to tell us what is happening at school.” Building and sustaining parent-teacher relationships is an ongoing process that needs to start early with banking positive interactions. Research from psychology researcher John Gottman shows that stable relationships need five times as many positive interactions as negative. Positive interactions spill over to help improve student engagement and learning outcomes as well (Christenson & Reschly, 2009).
​​
Schools and teachers can create the conditions for these positive interactions with parents by proactively inviting families as partners and recognizing the important role of families. As the parent I met explained, “For me, it's really important that the teachers support us by communicating what kids are doing in school, what they are low at so that we can help support them too.” When teachers open the doors and invite regular communication, it can set parent-teacher relationships on the right course.

Read More

    Archives

    December 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019

    Categories

    All
    Anti-Racism Resources
    Early Childhood
    English Learners
    Equity
    Family Engagement
    Family Spotlight
    Social And Emotional Learning
    Supporting Families

WHAT WE OFFER
What We Do
​​FASTalk
Professional Learning​
Impact
Districts and States
Families
ABOUT
About Us
Team
Supporters
Press
Events
Jobs

RESOURCES
Blog
Funding Sources
Learning Series
CONTACT
Contact Us
Meet with Us
DONATE 
PayPal
​
AmazonSmile
548 Market Street #42210 San Francisco, CA 94104
​© 2023, Family Engagement Lab  |  Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
  • FASTalk
    • What We Do
    • FASTalk
    • Professional Learning
  • Impact
    • Impact
    • Families
  • Districts and States
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Funding Sources
    • Learning Series
  • About
    • About Us
    • Team
    • Supporters
    • Press
    • Events
    • Jobs
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Connect with Us
  • Donate