A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Family Involvement in Children's Education - October 1997

Successful Local Approaches to Family Involvement in Education

Many successful strategies for family involvement used by Title I schools and districts demonstrate the capacity of families, schools, and communities, working together, to improve children's learning. Because families, schools, and communities vary, however, a strategy that works in one setting may not work in another. Thus, there is no one best model that can be easily transplanted from place to place. Stakeholders must understand the conditions of their communities in order to select and tailor approaches that meet local needs. Stakeholders must also recognize that parent involvement takes many forms; it may not necessarily require, for example, parents' presence at a workshop, meeting, or school. The emphasis should be on families helping children succeed in school, and this can happen in schools, homes, and elsewhere in local communities. Creating an effective partnership in which parents feel welcome and valued requires that schools work to break down many of the common barriers to effective partnerships, including barriers related to time, school structure, and training. The following sections present strategies that schools and districts have employed to overcome each of these barriers to parent involvement and to help build productive relationships with parents.
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[Resources for Involving Families in Education]

[Overcoming Time and Resource Constraints]