Family Engagement and Partnerships
Why Engage & Partner with Families?
Research indicates that parental involvement at home has more than double the impact on student test scores compared to parents’ education level and socioeconomic status.
Families have a major influence on their children’s achievement. When schools, families, and community groups work together to support student learning, children and teens tend to do better, stay in school longer, and like school more. Our SPS families are critical partners.
What is School-Family Engagement & Partnership?
School-Family engagement is the collaborative interaction between educators and families that promotes student learning and positive child and youth development at home, in school, and in the community.
Intentional Family Engagement?
When School-Family Engagement is intentional and authentic on both sides, it builds a relationship that leads to a true Partnership! Maintaining a true School-Family Partnership from Kindergarten through 12th grade is an intentional and shared responsibility of families and schools and will yield great outcomes for students’ success if considered seriously.
The 4 Pillars of Family Engagement Framework
The 4 pillars and the goals listed within the framework are designed to engage students, families, school staff, and district staff on various levels and to provide an accessible path for creating and maintaining best practices for family engagement that lead to true partnership!
Is your School a 4 Pillar School?
- Does your school Share Power and Responsibility?
- Does your school Facilitate Positive Interactions?
- Does your school have a Welcoming Environment?
- Does your school provide Two-Way Communications?
Each Pillar has Goals. When you fulfill the goals of that pillar, you can authentically say that you are a 4 Pillar school, that is intentional about School-Family engagement and partnership for better student outcomes.
Goal 1: Engage with students as key partners in their own education
Goal 2: Engage with families as partners, resources & experts in ensuring their students’ success
Goal 3: Be transparent & intentional about levels of engagement
Goal 1: Train all staff to engage everyone who enters the building with kindness, respect & integrity
Goal 2: Ensure quality of facilities & tools are equitable & accessible
Goal 3: Use materials that are inspiring & culturally relevant
Goal 1: Share information about school & student progress
Goal 2: Respond to parents’ questions & inquires in a timely manner
Goal 3: Follow up & through on commitments with professionalism & care
Goal 1: Learn cultural norms for students & families
Goal 2: Establish communication norms & preferences with all stakeholders
Goal 3: Communicate with families across multiple mediums & methods
The 4 Pillars of Family Engagement framework was codesigned in 2018 by the SPS Family Engagement Task Force. This task force comprised SPS student family members, community-based organizations, school staff, and district staff from across the SPS district. Their mission was to center family engagement to ensure families and schools work together to support and improve the learning, development, and whole health of all SPS students.
Family engagement work is done through the Dual Capacity Building Framework and Seattle Public Schools’ 6 standards of family engagement.