Welcoming, honoring, and connecting with families creates a school community in which everyone says they feel like “members of a family.” Parents respond to this culture by becoming loyal members of the school community, and by taking part in their children’s education in ways they had never envisioned. – Beyond the Bake Sale, pg. 50
When considering parent engagement, it is vital to create a warm, welcoming environment with families. Creating a connection which builds trust and respect is the foundation of a meaningful partnership that supports student success. This section provides resources that district teams, school sites, and families could use to create strong connections between home and school.
PDF from the Nebraska Department of Education This Beyond the Bake Sale checklist is intended to provide talking points for educators and parents about the educational environment on campus. Complete this checklist with your family engagement team to take a candid look at how to improve welcoming, honoring, and connecting with families.
Students with engaged families have higher grades, attend school more regularly, and are more likely to graduate. By directly asking families about barriers to engagement, family engagement coordinators and district teams can use data, rather than anecdotes, to identify obstacles to family engagement and to create targeted goals and actionable plans to more effectively engage families.
The Toolkit of Resources for Engaging Families and the Community as Partners in Education is a four-part resource that brings together research, promising practices, and useful tools and resources to guide educators in strengthening partnerships with families and community members to support student learning.
What strengths are in your community? Use this workbook as a tool for identifying community strengths and supporting change initiatives.
