Family involvement, especially in students’ early years, predicts student academic success long after elementary school. Yet pathways to richer family-school engagement are not typically well understood by schools. In some cases, schools do not employ the practices that increase and amplify family engagement. As research develops and schools work with families to identify shared aims, our authors point to a few recommendations for best practices in this area. This brief describes new directions for federal education policy relating to family engagement, barriers to engagement, and the essential role that school leadership plays in successful engagement. It concludes with recommendations based on findings from a survey study of 180 parents and guardians of K12 students in the Wilmington, Delaware metropolitan area. The contents of this brief reflect the work of PPE’s fellow, Lauren Bailes.
Family Engagement Released 2020
