By Kelsey Boivin

If we believe that all kids can achieve at high levels, regardless of the color of their skin or the money in their pockets, then we must also believe that all parents can be great guides, partners, and advocates in their child’s education…how hard are we willing to work, and how creative we are willing to be, to make this a reality?

                        -Helen Westmoreland 

Recent studies have found charter leaders have trouble engaging parents,[2] similar to their traditional school counterparts. Despite the advantages of autonomy and communal backing, many charters encounter problems working to increase parent participation. Much of this tension can be attributed to educators’ definition of engagement and its distance from the everyday realities of parents and teachers. If charter educators are going to raise levels of student achievement, leaders must re-define parent engagement and change the ways in which they go about involving parents. As sites of academic and educational innovation, independent charters and leaders have potential to play an integral role in transforming the way educators interact with parents and communities. However, in order to take such a role, charter leaders must make strategic decisions in order to foster a culture of sustained engagement within their schools.

Independent charters maintain an edge over traditional schools in confronting issues of parent engagement. Parents make calculated decisions when enrolling children in specific charters, and we often assume these parents are more inclined to be involved in their children’s education These schools have greater opportunities for contact with parents and the ability to better convey participant expectations.. To make the most of these advantages and parental interest, charter school leaders must work with the entire community, inside and outside the school to realize their full engagement potential.

Parent involvement and parent engagement have different implications for parents, children, teachers, and school leaders. We expect parents to be involved in outside school events (such as school plays), parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, career days, and at times, ask them to play the role of field trip escort. However, the latter has most potential to increase student success. Of the two phrases, parent engagement must drive school leaders conceptions of and planning for parent participation.

The Flamboyan Foundation works in areas of family engagement and offers a more comprehensive and inclusive definition of family educational engagement. When thinking about parent involvement in their own schools, charter leaders may find the following description helpful:

“family engagement as collaboration between families and schools that drives student achievement. The goals of this collaboration are to help families guide, support, and advocate for their children’s learning; to encourage families and educators to foster high expectations for children; and to enable families and schools to share decision-making and leadership to improve school quality.”

To include parents as active and sustained participants in a child’s educational experience, school leaders must do more. Used as sole indicators of parent participation, contracts and meeting attendance detract from strategies that help parents meaningfully engage in their children’s education. Many organizations have published guidebooks,[3][4][5] classroom rubrics,[6] and several other resources that may assist leaders in increasing parent engagement.[7]

While increased parent engagement is worthwhile in its own right, recent legislation has mandated that parents be a key aspect of state, district, and school planning. Race to the Top emphasizes parental involvement as a major component for receiving federal funds, and President Obama has supported efforts to increase parent engagement in education.[8] Meanwhile, state departments of education and school districts have begun to more strongly promote family involvement as is evident in several recent policy initiatives.

Though policymakers at high levels draft legislation, there is often little, if any real thought put into a policy’s implementation on the ground. This translates into a lack of training and support for school leaders and teachers that might actually create stronger bonds with families. To strengthen the partnership between families and schools, the entire community must be trained and supported. Teachers and school administrators must be knowledgeable guides and active participants in building these relationships, and policymakers must ensure educators receive the technical assistance they need.

Teachers are especially key for bringing parents more fully into a child’s educational world. They must learn strategies and practices that are effective for engaging parents and be able to convey expectations to parents in ways that make parents feel welcome. This is not easy work and teachers need to be fully supported in creating partnerships with parents.

Charter schools have the potential to be model sites of parent and community engagement. However, if charters are to realize this potential, school leaders and teachers must expect engagement and not settle for basic involvement. Getting parents to sign up for chaperone duty is easier than providing parents with the skills they need to adequately support their child’s learning. While there are many actions considered good practice for increasing parental engagement, each school leader must tailor his or her approach to meet the needs of the schools community[9]. In whatever way charter leaders go about increasing engagement, they must provide their staff with the necessary support and training to build sustained relationships with parents.

School leaders can provide teacher and parental support in a variety of ways. They can:

• encourage teachers to implement new strategies
• work to understand the families’ and a community’s unique needs
• provide teachers and parents with guiding feedback,
• and overall, can ensure that parental involvement is an integral aspect of the school’s culture.

To assist them with this task, school leaders have begun to hire Family Coordinators whose express job is to engage parents by integrating both school and community cultures.[10].

Every school leader will develop a unique plan to increase parent engagement. Where some will hire coordinators, others will undertake the job themselves. However, engagement does not just happen. Sustained parental participation comes from strategic planning and continued support. It is a communal activity and charter leaders must plan so as to bring teachers and parents into the fold. Like charter schools themselves, parental engagement should be a community venture and all stakeholders must be involved.  

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This blog post is part of the Charter Notebook, sponsored by the Network of Independent Charter Schools, a project of the Center for Educational Innovation - Public Education Association.

The views expressed in Charter Notebook blogs represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Center for Educational Innovation-Public Education Association or the U.S. Department of Education.

The views expressed in Charter Notebook blogs represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Center for Educational Innovation-Public Education Association or the U.S. Department of Education.