Ask Parents for Their Ideas¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 2 studies (2 review), q2–q3 · 0 of 2 report an effect size

Description¶

Schools can include parents by regularly asking for feedback regarding issues of concern. Teachers elicit questions and topic suggestions from parents before events such as Back-to-School Night, then visibly build the agenda around what parents actually asked. This positions parents as contributors rather than audiences, creating a culture of common understanding and involving them directly in their child's academic journey.

Design Implications¶

Soliciting parent voice works through the same mechanism as student voice: being asked signals that one's contribution matters, which raises investment and engagement Task value increases motivation and engagement. [+M]. The strategy is most effective when feedback visibly shapes what happens next — asking without responding erodes trust faster than not asking at all. Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's model identifies parental self-efficacy and invitations from the school as the strongest predictors of involvement [+S]; a direct request for ideas is precisely such an invitation.

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Low-friction communication channels (surveys, text messaging, translation for home-language families)
• Willingness to listen and respond; a visible loop showing how input changed the agenda or decision
• Administrative support for acting on feedback, not just collecting it

Constraints¶

• Requires time and effort to analyze and respond; schools that cannot close the loop should not solicit broadly [-M]
• Feedback skews toward the most engaged, English-speaking, digitally connected families unless outreach is deliberately targeted [-M] — this can amplify existing inequities in whose voice is heard
• One-off solicitation without sustained follow-through produces cynicism rather than partnership [~M]

Implementation Variability¶

• Pre-event question collection (e.g., parents submit questions before Back-to-School Night or conferences)
• Standing feedback channels (quarterly surveys, suggestion forms, parent advisory input)
• Home-visit or phone-based elicitation for families unlikely to respond to written surveys
• Student-mediated solicitation, where students interview their own parents as a class assignment

Target Learners¶

• Parents and caregivers of K–12 students, particularly those whose involvement drops off after elementary school [+M]
• Families who feel unwelcome or intimidated by school settings; a specific request for their ideas lowers the barrier to first contact [+W]
• Teachers benefit indirectly: parent input improves the relevance of communication and reduces conflict later [~M]

Target Learning Goals¶

• Build trust and a shared understanding between home and school
• Increase parent involvement and attendance at school events
• Improve the cultural relevance of school communication and programming

Instructions¶

1. Identify the upcoming decision or event where parent input is genuinely actionable.
2. Solicit ideas or questions through Check-Ins — short, specific prompts rather than open-ended "any concerns?" requests.
3. Collect individual input via Individual Response formats (forms, texts, calls) so quieter families are not drowned out in group settings.
4. Analyze and cluster the feedback; identify themes and the top concerns.
5. Design the event or communication around those themes, and open by naming what parents asked for — making the loop visible.
6. Follow up with parents who raised individual concerns, using Class Discussion or conference time to address them.

Related Strategies¶

• Check-Ins — the same elicitation move applied to students rather than families
• Community-Based Learning — extends partnership from families to the wider community
• Use improved communication strategies to drive family involvement and partnerships with schools
• Use a family engagement survey within a data inquiry cycle to gather family feedback and drive changes to policies and practices
• Solicit and formally review unsolicited scholarly responses when publishing a controversial position

Related Elements¶

• Check-Ins — lightweight prompts that make solicitation routine rather than episodic
• Individual Response — ensures every family can contribute, not just the vocal minority
• Collaboration — the underlying stance: parents as co-decision-makers

Tools¶

• Simple survey tools (Google Forms, TalkingPoints, Remind) with multilingual support
• Parent advisory committees as a standing channel for recurring input

Examples¶

• A middle school collects parent questions via text message two weeks before Back-to-School Night, then structures the evening's sessions around the five most common themes and publishes "you asked, we answered" notes afterward.
• Epstein's Six Types of Involvement framework — used by the National Network of Partnership Schools to structure two-way communication, including "seeking ideas from parents" as a distinct activity type.

Key Sources¶

• Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., & Sandler, H. M. (1995). Parental involvement in children's education: Why does it make a difference? Teachers College Record, 97(2), 310–331. doi:10.1177/016146819509700202
• Epstein, J. L., & Van Voorhis, F. L. (2001). More than minutes: Teachers' roles in designing homework. Educational Psychologist, 36(3), 181–193. doi:10.1207/S15326985EP3603_4
• Jeynes, W. H. (2007). The relationship between parental involvement and urban secondary school student academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Urban Education, 42(1), 82–110. doi:10.1177/0042085906293818
• Sheldon, S. B. (2002). Parents' social networks and beliefs as predictors of parent involvement. The Elementary School Journal, 102(4), 301–316. doi:10.1086/499705
• Christenson, S. L., & Sheridan, S. M. (2001). Schools and families: Creating essential connections for learning. Guilford Press.