Reading PK-3

Family Engagement

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Overview

Students are more likely to come to school when families feel like a valued part of the community. Research has shown that students can fall behind academically when they miss only two days every month. This strategy also supports the practice of culturally responsive teaching and can be used with other strategies that allow representation of all learners in the curriculum.

Use It in the Classroom

The Center for Early Childhood Education at Eastern Connecticut State University shares family engagement strategies, focused specifically on younger children.

  • Actively involving parents in decisions regarding their child encourages family engagement. Home visits and regular communication help teachers and parents build relationships and learn about each others' expectations for school. Collaborative and culturally sensitive communication between teachers and families also fosters a sense of inclusiveness, reducing Stereotype Threat for students and improving Motivation.

    • Design It into Your Product

    Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.

    See how a mobile app, Remind, provides a way for parents, teachers, and students to communicate quickly and easily about student progress, assignments, and other school-related activities.

  • Developers can support this regular communication between teachers and families by making apps that are mobile and multilingual.
    • View References

    Resources

    Below are additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
    Examples

    Connecting with Families

    Cooney Center report on using technology to better connect with Hispanic-Latino families

    Examples

    Family Engagement

    Research-based strategies from WestEd on engaging families

    Examples

    Five Ways

    Ideas for boosting parental involvement at low income schools

    Examples

    Toolkit of Resources

    Strategies from the Institute for Education Sciences on how to build relationships between schools and families

    Examples

    Families as Learning Partners

    Resource on The Learning Accelerator

    Professional Development

    The Importance of Working with Parents

    Module by Sanford Inspire

    Professional Development

    Strategies for Engaging Parents

    Module by Sanford Inspire

    Professional Development

    Strategies for Communicating with Parents

    Module by Sanford Inspire

    Research

    Parent Involvement

    Subtopic that includes research on the connection between parent/family involvement and student achievement on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Research

    Family Resources & Relationships

    Subtopic that explores research on the effects of parenting, SES, and stress on children's wellbeing and achievement on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Research

    Family Engagement

    Topic that includes research on how schools can improve their family engagement on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Factors Supported by this Strategy

    Language and Literacy
    Cognition
    Social and Emotional Learning
    Emotion
    Motivation
    Social Awareness & Relationship Skills
    Stereotype Threat
    Student Background
    Adverse Experiences
    Safety
    Social Supports
    Socioeconomic Status

    More Instructional Approaches Strategies

    Dialogic Reading

    With this interactive technique, teachers help students become storytellers by listening and questioning.

    Direct Instruction: Comprehension Strategies

    When teachers provide explicit instruction in comprehension strategies and model when to use them, students learn how to flexibly apply them to make meaning of texts.

    Direct Instruction: Vocabulary

    Seeing and using new words repeatedly and in many contexts is critical for Vocabulary acquisition.

    Guided Inquiry

    In guided inquiry, teachers help students use their own language for constructing knowledge by active listening and questioning.

    Independent Reading

    Independent reading promotes reading development by emphasizing student choice with teacher support in selecting books, as well as by making time for free reading.

    Literacy Centers

    Literacy centers with reading games, manipulatives, and activities support learner interests and promote the development of more complex reading skills and social interactions.

    Mindfulness Activities

    Through short but regular mindfulness activities, students develop their awareness and ability to focus.

    Multimodal Instruction

    Instruction in multiple formats allows students to activate different cognitive skills to understand and remember the steps they are to take in their reading work.

    Non-intensive HLE Intervention Program

    A parent evening meeting about how to support literacy at home with one follow-up meeting with each family has shown strong results for students' reading development.

    Phonics Programs

    Students with low early literacy skills benefit from a focus on phonics and Phonological Awareness.

    Pre-reading Questioning

    Talking with students about what they know about the topic of upcoming work helps activate their Background Knowledge or reveals gaps.

    Whole Language

    Students with strong early literacy skills benefit from a literacy-rich approach.

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