Search Results for: Family Engagement

When PTAs offer programs, activities and events for families to actively participate in school life, it helps to improve student outcomes and school performance from preschool to high school.

Family Engagement Nights are a great way to reinforce these ties between home and school. By bringing families together on campus, they provide opportunities to create a more welcoming, accessible and inclusive school culture.

They are also an effective way to share information, activities and resources to:

• Enhance student achievement
• Highlight what students are doing in class
• Support student learning at home
• Boost school improvement to meet whole-school goals
• Motivate students for long-term educational success

Whether it’s a Family Story Telling or Math Night at elementary school, Family Science Mystery or Art Night at middle school or a Family Fitness or Career Night at high school, Family Engagement Nights increase awareness of what students need to be successful.

They also help build a stronger community support system so that students can thrive in school and beyond.

How California schools are funded makes family engagement in schools more important than ever. With the Local Control and Funding Formula (LCFF), school districts are required to engage parents in making important decisions about their schools to support student success.

This includes the requirement for parent involvement in shaping a school district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) by:

• Actively engaging parents in strategic planning and decision-making
• Seeking parent input on the needs, priorities, goals and spending in a district’s LCAP

With parent involvement as one of the eight key areas in a LCAP, authentic family engagement in schools is vital for school improvement and student achievement.

Revised January 2015 – Family Engagement

Well-informed, engaged parents make a difference for student success. A home environment that encourages learning is a bigger factor in student achievement than a parent’s income, education level or cultural background.

As research indicates, students with involved parents are more likely to:

• Attend school regularly
• Perform better in school
• Earn higher grades
• Pass their classes
• Develop better social skills
• Go on to post-secondary education

As important stakeholders, engaged parents take part in all aspects of their child’s education and development from pre-school to high school.

This successful strategy is based on a shared understanding in a school community that parents are a child’s first teachers and key resources in his/her education and growth.

Adopted February 2012 – Reviewed and deemed relevant February 2022 – Family Engagement Commission

California State PTA recognizes there is a direct correlation between family engagement and student achievement. Research and studies over the past 20 years have definitively shown that when administrators and teachers engage parents in the educational process, significant growth occurs in student learning.

California State PTA therefore believes that partnerships between parents, professional educators, and community will significantly impact closing the achievement gap; reducing retention rates; decreasing dropout and truancy rates; increasing graduation rates; and improving the health of students and their families. For all students to achieve their potential, regardless of their cultural background, socioeconomic status, or learning challenges, requires a partnership between families, communities, and professional educators.

California was the first state to enact legislation (AB 1264 Martinez, Chapter 767, Statutes of 1993) calling for prospective teachers and certified educators to “serve as partners and guardians in the education of children.” To formally prepare teachers and administrators to increase family engagement in education, the PTA believes that credentialing programs for educators must include family engagement components.

California State PTA therefore supports the following steps necessary to change administrator and teacher credentialing requirements:

• Reviewing California Education Code 11500-11506 on parent involvement.
• Changing California laws and policies to require teacher and administrative credentialing programs to have family engagement components.
• Convening a task force of parents, school board members, teachers, K-12 school administrators, administrators from educator preparation programs at institutions of higher education, representatives from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and other experts to pursue legislation that includes accountability and funding for both family engagement courses in programs for new teachers and administrators, as well as professional development in family engagement for administrators and teachers who are already credentialed.
• Working collaboratively with institutions of higher education to identify and integrate research-based standards and strategies for family engagement into teacher and administrator preparation courses, text books, and student teaching experiences.
• Ensuring that family engagement standards include strategies that effectively engage families from diverse backgrounds and school communities.
• Ensuring that classes on family engagement become a requirement for obtaining both the California teaching and administrative credentials.
• Increasing the number of both pre-service and in-service educational opportunities for teachers and administrators to learn how to effectively engage parents of all backgrounds as partners in the education of their children.
• Implementing both accountability measures and incentives for implementing strategies to increase levels of family engagement at all public schools including charter schools and schools receiving Title 1 funding.
• Introducing federal legislation that supports family engagement training for all prospective teachers and administrators, as well as professional development in family engagement for all current teachers and administrators in all states.

Providing ways for parents to better support the growth, development and learning of their children and teenagers is the core purpose and value of PTA.

Setting up a Family Engagement Committee for your PTA ensures inclusion and gives parents ready access to the information, skills and training they need to support student success.

To build family engagement on campus, a good first step is to develop a year-long Action Plan. That way, you can organize, implement and assess your outreach efforts, programs and activities for family engagement more effectively.

5 Steps for an Action Plan:

• Survey parents, staff and students to identify the needs and priorities of the school community
• Create a family engagement team with parents, teachers, students, administrators and community partners to work together to support student success
• Design a family engagement Action Plan to reach and engage all families in the school community
• Present the programs budget for the Action Plan to the PTA board and association for approval
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the Action Plan, using a year-end survey or an evaluation sheet filled out at each event/activity

As part of your Action Plan, offer Parent Education Nights on a variety of subjects including:

To Boost Parenting Skills – Focus on topics such as child development, health and wellness, multiculturalism and diversity, bullying and gangs, substance abuse, the arts, family life/sex education, social media, cyber safety and the other tough issues facing parents raising children and teenagers today.

To Boost Student Achievement – Focus on topics such as school policies, homework help, curriculum, reading, writing, math, STEAM, standardized testing, school safety, campus climate, student engagement and school improvement.

To expand your outreach efforts, follow up by using your PTA newsletter, website and social media postings to provide more information and resources on these topics.

Family Engagement Matters
Schools, LCFF and Family Engagement
Parents’ Legal Rights

Build Home-School Partnerships
PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
Family Engagement Committee
Family Engagement Nights
The Power of Parents
Partnering With Teachers
Volunteering
Your Voice Matters
School Smarts Parent Engagement Program

Parenting Resources
Helping Your Child Grow and Learn
Student Learning
Early Childhood Education Counts
Classroom Learning
Student Assessment
Arts Education Matters
College and Career Planning

Creating a Partnership Between Home and School
How to Support Student Learning at Home
Boost Literacy Skills
Raise a Reader
Make STEAM Count
Monitor Homework
Summer Learning

Download the Family Engagement Chairman Job Description

Key Role – Family Engagement Chairman

• Plans and organizes family engagement outreach, programs and activities for the school year
• Publicizes family engagement activities and events using newsletters, website, social media and backpack express
• Works with committee and other chairmen

Getting Started

Preparation – Meet with last year’s family engagement chairman to learn more about what worked best and the scope of the position.

Read fliers, program booklets, surveys, evaluations, PTA training materials, PTA council and district information, and community resources.

Schedule Meetings – Discuss roles and goals of family engagement committee with executive board-elect. Align goals with those of the PTA and school.

Meet early with family engagement committee, appointed by president-elect. Include both new and experienced volunteers who reflect the diversity of the school community on the committee.

How Tos

5 Tips for Outreach

• Promote regular, two-way, parent-school communication
• Encourage parent and staff training on the value and importance of family engagement to support student success
• Collaborate with other PTAs and community partners to share information, materials and speakers and to co-sponsor family engagement events
• Put parenting tips in school/ PTA newsletters and email blasts or on the website and social media
• Hold meetings at different times/days in the community to ensure that parents feel welcome and to respect parents’ work schedules

Develop Year-Long Action Plan

• Survey parents, staff and students to identify the needs and priorities of the school community
• Create a family engagement team with parents, teachers, students, administrators and community partners to work together to support student success
• Design a family engagement Action Plan to reach and engage all families in the school community
• Present the programs budget for the Action Plan to the PTA board and association for approval
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the Action Plan, using a year-end survey or an evaluation sheet filled out at each event/activity

Program Ideas

• Organize family engagement events and parent information nights as part of the family engagement Action Plan on topics such as:
  • Child development, parenting skills, school policies, homework help, curriculum, reading, writing, math, STEAM, standardized testing, health and wellness, multiculturalism and diversity, school safety, bullying and gangs, substance abuse, the arts, family life/sex education or social media and cyber safety
  • Contact local preschools, nearby schools and neighbors to invite them to participate

Learn more: California State PTA – capta.org | National PTA – pta.org

 

THE POWER OF SCHOOL SMARTS:

School Smarts is California State PTA’s signature program for building authentic family engagement in school. It trains parents/caregivers on how the California school system works, how to effectively advocate for a quality education and how to grow family-school partnerships to support student success and school improvement.

School Smarts is grounded on decades of research that shows how and why parent involvement in school matters. When parents/caregivers are engaged in a child’s school life, it makes a positive difference in academic achievement, as well as attitude and behavior, for students from all neighborhoods.

As studies indicate, a home environment that actively encourages learning is a bigger factor for student achievement than a parent’s income, education level or cultural background.

Connecting parents/caregivers to their child’s learning is more important than ever. With the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), ‘Parent Involvement’ is a State Priority for developing and reviewing a school district’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). This means the parent voice is an essential part of the process that determines how our schools are funded.

Inclusion is the program’s operating principle. As a fee-for-service program, School Smarts is sponsored by a school district or PTA and is offered for parents/caregivers at no cost. Each Session is family-centered with childcare onsite. And, the curriculum is available in six, home languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. In addition, the program can be presented either in-person or virtually for a school community.

School Smarts is an effective tool for school districts implementing family engagement strategies. Course content is specifically designed to assist districts with their state and federal family-engagement requirements and support their LCAP implementation. Funding options can include Title 1, English Learner Parent Involvement Funds and LCFF/LCAP Funding.

Typically, the School Smarts Program is provided at almost 100 school sites each year across the State. As School Smarts graduates, thousands of parents/caregivers are empowered as community leaders to advocate for their children and schools regardless of their zip code.

Learn More: To find out how to bring School Smarts to your school as an in-person or virtual program, contact: schoolsmarts@capta.org

THE SCHOOL SMARTS ACADEMY: 

As a parent engagement program, School Smarts is tailored to meet the priorities and needs of a local, school community. While each Academy consists of seven, interactive Sessions with curriculum and course materials supplied by California State PTA, a School Smarts Planning Team of parents, teachers and administrators at a school often plans, oversees and runs an Academy.

Academy participants meet weekly with a facilitator, either in-person or virtually, to explore and learn more about:

• Why family engagement in school makes a difference
• How to navigate the education system
• How your school operates and how decisions are made that affect your child
• Why parent engagement in the development and review of a district’s LCAP matters
• Ways to communicate effectively with teachers and administrators
• How to advocate for a quality education
• Strategies and tips to support student learning at home more effectively

Topics such as Common Core Standards, assessments, testing and college readiness are also covered to inform and strengthen home-school partnerships.

Finding ways to enhance a school community is embedded as a learning outcome of School Smarts. The program kicks off with a Parent Engagement Night (PEN) for the whole school community. This in-person or virtual event brings parents and educators together to build relationships and trust. With the PEN, a community conversation on ways to better support student learning and school improvement on campus is also initiated.

In the final Session, Academy participants create group and personal action plans to benefit students and the school community. Action plans often focus on effective ways for parents/caregivers to reinforce classroom learning, to enhance school climate and to improve campus safety.

The impact of School Smarts on a school is enduring. As post-Academy surveys indicate, graduates get more involved in school committees and local PTAs. By paying it forward, the lives of children, families and their community are enriched by School Smarts.

Learn More: Check out the School Smarts Program on our website – capta.org/schoolsmarts

PTA OUTREACH – WAYS TO SUPPORT A SCHOOL SMARTS ACADEMY:

As a PTA leader, you can support a local Academy and its participants in a variety of ways. Remember to coordinate your efforts with other local leaders at the unit, council and district level.

For the school-wide Parent Engagement Night (PEN) and the Academy Sessions, work with the School Smarts Planning Team and facilitator on campus to connect School Smarts more closely with your PTA network by:

Engaging Your Community

• Promote Involvement – Use PTA communication channels to reach out to families from all neighborhoods to participate in School Smarts
• Raise Awareness – Add a link to your PTA social media postings and website for the School Smarts homepage on the State PTA website: www.capta.org
• Welcome Participants – Invite parents/caregivers to join PTA, engage in PTA activities and sign up for volunteer opportunities at school
• Work Together – Explore ways your PTA can assist in completing the Academy’s action plans to enhance student learning, safety and well-being on campus
• Celebrate Success – Showcase School Smarts graduates in your PTA e-news, website or social media

Sharing Your PTA Resources

• Provide Support – Supply information, speakers, interpreters and volunteers as needed and serve as a key resource on how to grow family-school partnerships for student success
• Promote PTA – For an in-person Academy, set up a PTA table to showcase your activities, volunteer opportunities, membership benefits and programs such as the Reflections Art Program
• Get Connected – Arrange for a board member to talk about your PTA’s impact on campus for ‘Session 4: Understanding our school’ and to offer congratulations at the graduation
• Practice Inclusion – Invite program graduates to add their voices to PTA advocacy efforts and your school district’s development and review of its Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
• Grow Leadership – Encourage and mentor School Smarts graduates to serve on a PTA committee or board

When families, schools and communities work effectively together as partners, family engagement is a powerful strategy that boosts student achievement and better prepares our children to lead healthy, happy and productive lives.

That’s the thinking behind PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. As research-based family engagement standards, they provide a framework to build stronger connections between home and school.

The six Standards, which focus on what parents, schools and communities can do together to support student success, are:

1. Welcoming All Families into the School Community
   Families are active participants in the life of the school and feel welcomed, valued and connected to each other, to school staff and to what students are learning and doing in class 

   Getting Started: Focus on how to break down barriers at your school. Put in place a Welcoming Committee and bilingual greeters and interpreters for meetings. Hold PTA meetings in community locations such as a local library or community center.

2. Communicating Effectively
   Families and school staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful communication and learning 

   Getting Started: Set up ways for families and school staff to connect better using multiple formats for communication. Organize social gatherings such as a school BBQ for everyone to get to know each other better.

3. Supporting Student Success
   Families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development, both at home and at school, and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so 

   Getting Started: Offer opportunities for parents to learn more on how to support student learning at home. Identify what parents need to know with a survey and hold Parent Education Nights on topics reflecting their interests. Provide tip sheets on parent-teacher conferences, homework help and how to handle the tough issues in raising children and teens today.

4. Speaking Up for Every Child
   Families are empowered to be advocates for their own and other children to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success 

   Getting Started: Publicize your school’s family engagement policy and get parent and student feedback to update the policy. Hold Parent Information Nights on how to be an effective advocate, how to identify and support learning styles and ways to foster student achievement.

5. Sharing Power
   Families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices and programs 

   Getting Started: Build a culture of inclusion to engage parents in school decision-making that supports student success. Ensure that your PTA membership and leadership reflects your school community with parents of all neighborhoods to promote access and diversity.

6. Collaborating With the Community
   Families and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families and staff to expanded learning opportunities, community services and civic participation 

   Getting Started: Partner with community and business leaders to provide resources and support the cultural, recreational, academic, health, social and other needs of families at your school. Welcome community members such as alumni and retired neighbors as volunteers for school activities and events.

Adopted March 1989 – Reviewed and deemed relevant April 2022 – Family Engagement Commission

California State PTA believes all children and youth are entitled to equitable privileges, equal justice, and equitable opportunities. In order for children to develop into mature, productive adult citizens, PTA believes they need:

• Stability in their family settings;
• Physical and social-emotional support conducive to healthy growth and development;
• Financial support to meet basic needs and, to the extent possible within the family’s means, to enrich the child’s development.

California State PTA believes the family is the basic unit in our society responsible for the support and nurturing of children. PTA further believes that both parents/guardians, whether living together or apart, have joint responsibility to support and educate their children, and to promote optimal development of each child. This means:

• Support of children until age 18;
• Support of children (until age 24) who are unmarried or otherwise unemancipated and who are students in good standing, attending high school or an accredited institution for higher learning or vocational training.

PTA supports programs that hold parents/guardians accountable for meeting these responsibilities.