As a school leader or teacher, how are you being culturally responsive with your families? How are you engaging your families in an authentic partnership? How much and what kind of direct contact have you had with each of your families recently? Do your families have accurate information about whether their child is at-, below-, or above-grade level? What resources and guidance are you providing to help families support and accelerate their children’s learning?
The Covid-19 pandemic has shined a light on the importance of meaningful school-home partnerships for keeping students engaged in school and accelerating their learning, partnerships that research has repeatedly shown are essential improving student learning.
The Leadership Academy has partnered with Learning Heroes and the National PTA to create A Principal’s Guide to Leading in the Time of Change. This free guide offers actionable strategies that school leaders can use to create the conditions for effective school-home partnerships. These strategies include
- Maintaining two-way communication that is accessible to every family
- Ensuring parents trust the school
- Ensuring parents and teachers have a shared understanding of student performance
- Ensuring parents know how to use learning resources
As schools go into the spring focused on addressing the months of learning many students have missed during the pandemic, family partnerships will be essential for moving forward.