SPARKING LIGHT
Friendzy Resources to Increase Family Engagement
As we embark on the 2024-25 school year, now is the time to revisit how we as educators care for our students and their families—Friendzy can help. Let’s fan the flame of our students’ light and care well for each little spirit that walks through our school doors.
Here are four easy ways to engage with your community including resources designed to help define and increase the opportunity for family connection at your school.
Family engagement is crucial for student success in schools, with research showing it as a powerful predictor of children's educational attainment and development (Weiss et al., 2018). Effective family engagement requires schools to listen and consider parents' perspectives and concerns (Barton et al., 2021). Factors influencing successful engagement include leadership, relationships, school culture, partnerships, community networks, and communication. Understanding how your specific school and classroom engage with families is a starting point for gaining awareness and insight that can lead to strong connections and engagement with your parents and families.
Research consistently demonstrates that family engagement is a powerful predictor of student success and educational outcomes (Weiss et al., 2018; Reupert & Minke, 2020). Engagement is not just physical involvement or volunteering at school, effective family engagement goes beyond mere involvement. Schools can focus on listening to parents' perspectives and empowering them to support their children's learning (Barton et al., 2021).
These activities are designed to enhance opportunities for connection between parents and their students. This is vital as it creates a positive sense of relationship. The goal of sharing and using these resources is to reinforce the collaborative partnership by emphasizing a strong bridge between the student’s classroom and home.
Our littlest learners take a big leap heading to school with lunchboxes in tow. These notes allow parents to send a little love to encourage their students midway through the day. Share with your parents today–they will love not writing on napkins!
A lunchbox letter is a great way for parents to remind their students they are thinking about them. These notes offer a quick dose of love, encouragement, and connection.
These notes are encouraging with the goal of sharing kindness at school. Parents can use these notes to encourage their students through words of affirmation and an actionable challenge!!
Turn one-way emails into two-way conversations with these engaging email “closers”. Intentional invitations to conversation is a great way to encourage connection and engagement with your school families.
As educators, we understand the significance of fostering strong family partnerships to support student success (Cosso et al., 2021). Meaningful family engagement in a school community enhances academic outcomes and contributes to a positive school climate.
Professional development (PD) is crucial to improving teaching practices and student outcomes. Effective PD can enhance teachers' confidence, knowledge, and understanding (Li et al., 2019). This PD will build a shared understanding of key terminology related to family connection and engagement as well as present and explore ideas essential for a holistic commitment to positive change in this area.
Utilize this turnkey, 30 to 60-minute staff professional development to facilitate professional conversations and growth with your staff. Leaders are equipped to easily facilitate a dynamic and rich conversation on intentional family engagement. Facilitator notes are in the speaker notes section for each slide.
A range of studies have identified key strategies for building trust between schools and parents. Effective communication, a sense of belonging, and professional competency are crucial for establishing trust (Francis, 2016). Trust-building is a developmental process that involves setting the stage for positive interactions, fostering low-risk exchanges, and creating opportunities for high-risk interactions (Kochanek, 2005). Strategies for building trust include the use of relational trust measures and the implementation of effective trust-building strategies (Kochanek, 2005). This is not a program but a practice.
The resources below will help you build trust with your student’s families.
This inventory engages educators in a reflective walkthrough of the classroom with a focus on fostering family engagement.
These TRUST BREAKERS and TRUST BUILDERS can help provide educators with insight into eliminating barriers and increasing positive points of connection.
This tool encourages educators to focus on five students each year to ensure intentional connection and deeper communication with families. Teachers can use this to focus their impact or as a log for all students.
BY JULIE WIDMAN
FRIENDZY CO-FOUNDER
Baker, T.L., Wise, J.M., Kelley, G.J., & Skiba, R.J. (2016). Identifying Barriers: Creating Solutions to Improve Family Engagement. School Community Journal, 26, 161-184.
Bang, Y.-S., Jang, H.-J., & Jung, J.-H. (2021). Understanding Korean early childhood teachers’ challenges in parent–teacher partnerships: Beyond individual matters. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 49(10), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.10764
Barton, A., Ziegler, L., Ershadi, M., & Winthrop, R.W. (2021). Collaborating to transform and improve education systems: A playbook for family-school engagement.
Constantino, S. M. (2021). Engage every family: Five simple principles. Corwin, A SAGE Publishing Company.
Cook, T. J. (2015). Charism and culture: Cultivating catholic identity in Catholic schools. National Catholic Educational Association.
Cosso, J., von Suchodoletz, A., & Yoshikawa, H. (2022). Effects of parental involvement programs on young children’s academic and social–emotional outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 36(8), 1329–1339. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000992
Effective family engagement starts with trust. Harvard Graduate School of Education.(2020). https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/20/04/effective-family-engagement-starts-trust
Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Sheldon, S. B., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jansorn, N. R., & Williams, K. J. (2019). School, family, and community partnerships: your handbook for action. Corwin, A SAGE Publishing Company.
Francis, G. L., Blue-Banning, M., Haines, S. J., Turnbull, A. P., & Gross, J. M. (2016). Building “our school”: Parental perspectives for building trusting family–professional partnerships. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 60(4), 329–336. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988x.2016.1164115
Kelty, N. E., & Wakabayashi, T. (2020). Family engagement in schools: Parent, educator, and community perspectives. SAGE Open, 10(4), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020973024
Li, C. J., Monroe, M. C., Oxarart, A., & Ritchie, T. (2019). Building teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching about climate change through Educative Curriculum and Professional Development. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 20(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015x.2019.1617806
Mapp, K. L. (2003). Having Their Say: Parents Describe Why and How They Are Engaged in Their Children's Learning. School Community Journal. https://www.wafamilyengagement.org/system_files/library/34.pdf
Reupert, A.E., & Minke, K.M. (2020). Family engagement. Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy.
Weiss, H.B., Lopez, M.E., & Caspe, M. (2018). Joining Together to Create a Bold Vision for Next Generation Family Engagement: Engaging Families to Transform Education.
Yusuf, Z. (2023). Towards Enhancing Literacy and Numeracy Skills among Students in Inclusive Education Settings. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8371317
