Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 6
Foreword Vito J. Borrello 8
Everyone Wins! In Short 10
Introduction 13
Background 14
How Do We Define "Family Engagement"? 16
How This Book Is Organized 19
The Study Summaries 20
Conclusion 20
Chapter 1 Family Engagement and Students: Impact and Benefits 21
Big Stories:
1 Adding a family engagement component to early childhood programs improves children's outcomes 24
2 Developing trust through close, equitable conversations between parents and teachers improves student achievement 26
3 Collaborating with families through short-term interventions linked to learning can lead to significant gains in reading and math 29
4 Partnering with secondary-school families improves student achievement, mental health, and graduation rates 32
5 Using "radical healing" strategies helps students to resolve conflicts and promotes healthy relationships 36
6 Collaborating with parents to remove structural inequities improves student outcomes 39
Conclusion 42
Chapter 2 Family Engagement and Educators: Impact and Benefits 43
Big Stories:
1 Building partnerships with families activates shifts in educators' beliefs and mindsets 46
2 Engaging in partnerships with families shifts educators' practice 51
3 Cultivating and nourishing family partnerships leads to a positive school culture and retention of staff 54
4 Sustaining meaningful family engagement requires certain skills, mindsets, and dispositions 57
5 Supporting effective family engagement requires resources, leadership, and infrastructure 62
Conclusion 64
Chapter 3 Family Engagement and Families: Impact and Benefits 65
Big Stories:
1 Practicing family engagement strengthens families' sense of self-efficacy 68
2 Investing in family engagement practices develops families' leadership capabilities 69
3 Facing barriers prevents families from engaging with their children's education 72
4 Recognizing families' daily lives and circumstances influences the nature of their engagement 74
5 Communicating clearly, openly, and regularly is essential for strong family-school partnerships and information sharing 77
Conclusion 80
Chapter 4 Family Engagement and Schools, Districts, and Communities: Impact and Benefits 81
Big Stories:
1 Emphasizing family engagement is necessary for systemwide success 84
2 Balancing power between schools and families-with equal partnership, equity, and justice as the goat-transforms institutions 88
3 Providing supports to foster family engagement helps institutions themselves begin to change 94
4 Building trust with families through two-way communication is essential 100
Conclusion 102
Chapter 5 Implications for Practice: Acting on the Research 103
Major Findings:
1 Strong trusting relationships among families, schools, and communities lay the foundation for all other efforts to succeed 106
2 Authentic two-way communication is key to developing trusting relationships and deeper understanding 107
3 Family-school-community partnerships can be transformative, at both the personal and institutional level 107
4 Meaningful family engagement practice must be systemic and sustained through resources, leadership, support, and infrastructure 108
5 When family engagement is a core value of school systems, it is a powerful equity strategy 108
Recommended Practices:
1 Intentionally cultivate relationships of trust and respect 108
2 Start family engagement practices early 109
3 Communicate clearly and continuously 110
4 Focus on equity 110
5 Prepare educators at all levels to work with families 111
6 Extend networks and partnerships 112
Final Considerations 113
Study Summaries 114
References 157
Index 159
