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Getting parents and caregivers involved in schools is often challenging. While, of course, they care about their children, certain barriers make it harder for them to get involved, no matter how much they want to. So what can schools do to help? During the edLeader Panel “Scaffolding: The Key to Engaging ALL Families in and Out of School,” Ilana Steinhauer, Executive Director of Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) Berkshires, and Rebecca Honig, Chief Content and Curriculum Officer at ParentPowered, explained how scaffolding can get families involved.

Scaffolding is when one builds a foundation of basic knowledge and support and then builds off of that foundation. It enhances information retention, connects foundational knowledge to new information, boosts engagement and self-agency, minimizes frustration, and encourages communication. Scaffolding helps families navigate the school system, form relationships and communities, access community resources such as housing or meal programs, and take on greater roles in the school community.

The foundation of scaffolding and family engagement is trust. It’s important for families to trust and feel welcomed in schools. Multilingual signs, announcement boards, and physical cues from teachers, like eye contact, can go a long way. People are more willing to engage when they feel welcomed, so it’s important to give them that feeling from the start. If an educator cannot be available right away, they need to let families know when they will be.

Families want to be engaged and they want what’s best for their children. Talking to them and asking questions about their lives shows that educators care, which makes them more willing to get involved. A key part of building trust is transparency. Educators should be clear and concise, state any confidentiality rules, explain what any shared information is going to be used for, describe roles, and set clear expectations.

Listening to what families are saying is crucial, and there are many opportunities to do so, starting with the front desk. The person sitting at the front desk connects the families with the school, so things like suggestion cards and a warm smile go a long way toward making them feel heard.

Newsletters can provide another listening opportunity by having surveys and asking for suggestions and feedback. Even homework can be used as a listening opportunity by collecting feedback on how students felt about assignments. Family workshops can also provide listening opportunities and can get families involved by teaching them to facilitate small groups.

Of course, the best way for schools to show they’ve been listening and to build trust is to demonstrate that what they’ve heard matters. Signs and letters explaining what they’ve heard, learned, or were asked for, and what they’re going to do in response, can make families feel valued and more willing to get involved.

For families to get involved, their basic needs—such as jobs, housing, and food—must be met. This is a significant part of scaffolding. Connecting families with local resources helps build a strong foundation that can lead to family involvement.

If schools learn about local resources, who is eligible, and how to qualify and access them, they can direct families to what they need to succeed so they can, in turn, become more involved. Schools can find out what families need by, again, using multilingual communication, not assuming what they have access to on their own, and being clear and concise in communication to ensure they understand what’s expected.

Schools want families at the table, and scaffolding is an extremely effective way to do that. It all begins with a strong foundation of trust, listening, and meeting families’ needs. Once that foundation is established, educators can build off it and work with families to help students thrive.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, Scaffolding: The Key to Engaging ALL Families in and Out of School, sponsored by ParentPowered.

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Community & Family Engagement is a free professional learning community where district and school administrators, teachers, counselors, support staff, and all educators can connect and share ideas, practices, and resources to support students and families and engage the community in helping students learn and thrive.

Research shows that families play a powerful role in fostering children’s development. ParentPowered is on a mission to help K–12 districts provide accessible, evidence-based family engagement curriculum, without adding more to teachers’ plates. Our program — for PreK through grade 12 — supports, inspires, and activates parents and caregivers with simple, strengths-based insights they can turn into everyday teachable moments. Learn more and request a demo at parentpowered.com.

Article by Jon Scanlon, based on this edLeader Panel