SIG-funded parent liaisons paired with structured parent contact practices to increase family engagement¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 mixed) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

A strategy in which rural SIG schools used SIG funds to hire or expand parent liaison positions and instituted structured outreach to families. Liaisons hosted community breakfasts, translated communications into Spanish, ran morning English classes and family math and literacy nights, and one school required teachers to contact five parents weekly with at least one positive contact. Respondents credited these practices with improving parent-school communication.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Funding for a parent liaison position, in these cases through SIG
• Teachers or staff given time and expectations for regular parent contact

Constraints¶

• Four of nine rural schools made parent involvement an improvement focus; two schools with low reported involvement described no formal actions to increase it

Target Learners¶

• Students in rural low-performing K-12 schools and their families

Target Learning Goals¶

• Increase parent involvement in school-based activities to support school improvement

Claims¶

• Limited English fluency and low native-language literacy among parents hinder school communication in ELL communities [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Teacher Parent Communication
• Connect with Parents Early in the School Year
• Combine traditional and nontraditional approaches to family engagement for ELL families
• Connect participating families to community resources and act as family-school liaisons

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• A Focused Look at Rural Schools Receiving School Improvement Grants. (2014). NCEE Evaluation Brief, NCEE 2014-4013. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20144013/