Three-approach taxonomy of school-family engagement: traditional parent involvement, school-parent partnership, and family- and community-centered engagement¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 design), q2 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The brief categorizes school-family engagement research into three approaches distinguished by the school's relationship with families, intentions and goals, decision-making structure, and communication with parents. In traditional parent involvement, communication "is limited and one-way"; in school-parent partnership, communication is two-way on selected topics with schools consulting parents; in family- and community-centered engagement, schools share decision-making responsibility with parents and goals are decided collectively. The brief offers this taxonomy with reflection questions to help educators situate their current practice and develop a vision for family engagement.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Schools must identify their intentions, goals, and structures for engagement, since communication is most impactful when grounded in clearly identified intentions and goals

Constraints¶

• Drawn from prior research rather than tested in this study; the brief notes each approach carries strengths and outcomes depend on the context and needs of the school community, and many schools likely employ a combination of the three

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students and their families and caregivers

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Strengthening school-family communication and collaboration to support student learning and well-being

Claims¶

• Parent involvement increased for three consecutive years under family-centered engagement approaches [+W]

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

• Structured reflection exercise for educators to situate their family engagement practice within the three engagement approaches
• Use improved communication strategies to drive family involvement and partnerships with schools
• Combine traditional and nontraditional approaches to family engagement for ELL families

Key Sources¶

• Orta, D., & Gutiérrez, V. (2022). Improving school-family communication and engagement: Lessons from remote schooling during the pandemic. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/improving-school-family-communication-and-engagement