Family Engagement

What is Family Engagement?:

Family engagement refers to the intentional, meaningful collaboration between schools and families to support student learning, behavior, and well-being. When families are actively involved in their children’s education, students are more likely to attend school regularly, achieve academically, and demonstrate positive behavior. At PaTTAN, we believe strong family-school partnerships are essential for creating inclusive, supportive environments where every student can thrive. Effective family engagement strengthens the foundation of MTSS and PBIS frameworks and supports a whole-child approach to education.

Why is it important?

Improves Student Outcomes: Research consistently shows that students with engaged families have better academic performance, improved behavior, and higher graduation rates.
Builds Trust: Strong relationships between families and schools foster mutual respect, communication, and shared responsibility.
Strengthens Tiered Supports: Family voice is critical in developing effective Tier I strategies and designing individualized Tier II or III supports.
Promotes Equity: Engaging all families, especially those historically marginalized, helps schools respond to diverse needs and reduce opportunity gaps.
Supports Social-Emotional Growth: When families reinforce positive behavior and coping strategies at home, students are more likely to generalize skills across settings.

Critical Features:

Two-Way Communication: Ongoing dialogue that is timely, accessible, and culturally responsive—not just one-way updates or notifications.
Respect and Cultural Responsiveness: Practices that honor families’ values, languages, experiences, and contributions.
Shared Decision-Making: Families are invited to collaborate on school policies, supports, and individual student plans.
Capacity Building: Schools support families in understanding systems, navigating supports, and building advocacy skills.
Consistency Across Tiers: Engagement practices are embedded in Tier I (schoolwide), Tier II (targeted), and Tier III (intensive) interventions.
Welcoming Environments: Families feel valued, heard, and included in the life of the school community.

Implementation Tips:

Start with Relationships: Prioritize building trust before addressing academic or behavioral concerns. Greet families warmly and learn their perspectives.
Diversify Communication Methods: Use calls, texts, home visits, translated newsletters, apps, or virtual meetings to ensure access for all families.
Invite Input and Feedback: Use surveys, focus groups, or family advisory teams to gather insights and co-design schoolwide supports.
Offer Flexible Engagement Opportunities: Provide multiple ways for families to participate—during school hours, evenings, online, or in-person.
Support Transitions: Engage families during key transition points (e.g., preschool to kindergarten, elementary to middle school) with clear information and support.
Highlight Strengths: Share student successes regularly—not just concerns—to reinforce positive partnerships.Provide Tools and Resources: Equip families with strategies to support learning and behavior at home (e.g., home PBIS expectations, self-regulation tools).

Citations:

Helpful Links:

Professional development and conference presentations on evidence-based practices in learning environment and engagement.

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PaTTAN resources for implementing evidence-based practices in learning enviornment and engagement.

Tools to support implementation of evidence-based practices in learning enviornment and engagement.

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Videos, podcasts, and recorded sessions that bring key learning enviornment and engagement topics to life.

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