Engagement

What Is Family Engagement?

Family engagement in schools is a collaborative effort where schools, community agencies, and organizations actively reach out to involve parents in meaningful ways. Parents, in turn, commit to supporting their children's learning and development. Using a strength-based approach, family engagement fosters change by building and maintaining relationships with families to achieve shared goals. Family empowerment involves engaging, involving, and amplifying the voices of families to support students.

Why is Family Engagement Important?

Effective family engagement significantly improves outcomes for students and families. Think of it as an essential ingredient baked into the cake, rather than just decorative icing. Integrating family engagement throughout a child's school career is most beneficial.

Key Points to Know:

• Family Engagement Coordinators: They interact with all families in their assigned schools across the district.

• Information Sharing: They support schools in sharing information with families and community members about district activities and initiatives, emphasizing timely, two-way communication to improve student outcomes.

• Proactive Support: They work with GBAPS staff and families to enhance their ability to support student success and ensure school accessibility.

• Resource Connection: They respond to individual family requests for support by connecting them with school, district, or community-based resources.

• Conflict Resolution: They meet with parents and principals to address concerns and collaborate with school staff and parents to resolve issues.