Involve Students and Parents.

Encourage parents, caregivers and community organizations to be partners in a child’s education.

It is essential that parents remain engaged in their child’s education. As stated earlier in this report, families play the most important role in children’s lives. Any effective program needs to focus on the relationships among family, community members and school staff as well as on understanding and respect for families’ needs, class and cultural differences.

Foster a partnership for success among parents, schools and communities.

Why This Recommendation Is Important

Independent research shows that meaningful involvement of all stakeholders has a positive impact on improved student learning.

Actions Needed

  • Direct resources and programmatic efforts to help families adopt effective strategies to support student learning.
  • Develop leaders (educators and non-educators) to help focus the work and coalesce resources.
  • Build infrastructure that frames and supports family involvement efforts through a variety of outreach strategies.
  • Solicit family reactions and perspectives.
  • Create structures that encourage family involvement.

Help parents and caregivers understand how they make a difference in a child’s education.

Why This Recommendation Is Important

Parental understanding that high expectations and effort make a significant difference in a child’s education is essential for success.

Actions Needed

  • Promote an understanding of the effects that a family’s beliefs, self-efficiency, knowledge and perceived abilities have on their children’s education.
  • Engage parents as partners in their children’s education.
  • Create a mechanism in each community that collectively cares for and supports children.

Work with parents and adults to support high expectations for learning.

Why This Recommendation Is Important

Effective school-family connections prepare educators and non-educators to engage in two-way partnerships that remove barriers to purposeful family involvement while simultaneously creating opportunities to encourage and maintain family support for student learning.

Actions Needed

  • Utilize community to help families foster reading skills and produce literate children by grade three.
  • Help parents understand their options for educating their children.
  • Educate parents on the importance of high expectations and effort in producing educated students.



Recommendations