Revisiting Parent Engagement in Present Times
My career has been dedicated to understanding, inspiring, and enhancing parent engagement in teaching and learning, both on and off the school landscape. Twenty plus years of work in this field has shed light on the multi-faceted nature of parent engagement. It is not a one-size-fits-all concept, but focused on the importance of building relationships and creating a sense of belonging within our communities. In my holistic approach to parent engagement, I place families in the circle, alongside teachers and students, and encourage everyone to think beyond the historical concept of “parent involvement.”
Parent engagement in teaching and learning is a critical factor in a child’s academic success and overall well-being. It is a vital component of a child’s educational journey, and it can take on various forms, adapting to the specific needs and dynamics of families. Every parent can and does support their children’s education in various ways. It is important to note that differing outcomes are achieved, depending on where they place their energy.
I do hope that my contributions to our understanding of parent engagement in education have helped us navigate the complex landscape of parent-teacher relationships. Today, I want to introduce something new, discussing the world of parent engagement, in relation to parent involvement, parent advocacy, and parent lobbying, and explore the key differences and the practical implications of each.
Parent Engagement Is Focused on Teaching and Learning
Let’s take a deeper look at what defines our understanding of parent engagement. I define parent engagement as the meaningful and authentic place and voice of parents in decisions that affect their children’s teaching, learning, and development, both on and off the school landscape. I describe parent engagement as a philosophy and a pedagogy, a way of understanding parent engagement that is perhaps distinctive in comparison to other definitions of the concept. Engagement implies enabling parents to take their place alongside educators in the schooling of their children, fitting together their knowledge of children, of teaching and learning, with teachers’ knowledge. What is critical to note, and is well-documented in research literature, is that parents’ engagement in their children’s teaching and learning enhances students’ achievement and the attainment of other educational outcomes.
Key Elements of Parent Engagement:
It is focused on teaching and learning.
It draws upon parent knowledge.
It is particular to the parent’s child or children.
It lays parent knowledge alongside teacher knowledge in side-by-side planning and curriculum-making.
It is up close and personal.
Parent Engagement Is Not… Parent Involvement. Why?
Parent Involvement is Focused on Serving the School’s Agenda
Parent involvement is a hierarchical act. Staff at the school decide on things that are important to the functioning of the school or to students’ learning or wellbeing - a book fair, a field trip, a hot lunch - and they ask parents to help them carry out this plan as they realize they cannot do it by themselves. Parent involvement typically encompasses such roles for parents as being an aide, an organizer, a fundraiser, or a spectator or audience member at a school event. Parents and school staff work together to get done what the school has decided is important. I refer to these types of activities as “warm body” activities, as all they require is a capable person to do them. They do not require the particular knowledge a parent holds. Parent involvement is valuable in that it contributes to the building of trust and relationships between parents and educators. What is critical to note, and also documented in the research literature, is that parent involvement does not enhance student achievement or the attainment of other educational outcomes.
Key Elements of Parent Involvement:
It is hierarchical, focused on serving the agenda determined by the school.
It includes “warm body” activities that any capable person can do, parent or non-parent.
It does not draw on parent knowledge.
It is typically a general role.
It is often removed from a parent’s child or children, instead serving a group of students or a school body.
Parent Engagement is Not…Parent Advocacy. Why?
Parent Advocacy is Focused on Issues.
Parent advocacy stands apart from parent engagement as, like parent involvement, it is also distinct in its purpose and approach. Parent advocacy steps away from the immediacy of your own child and their teaching and learning. It's about speaking up and championing issues that address broader needs of children in your school, community, or beyond. Advocacy extends your sphere of influence to tackle issues that affect children collectively. You will all be familiar with advocacy efforts such as working to have a crosswalk or crosswalk lights put in near a school, to prevent a school from closure, or for enhanced school bussing, as examples. While advocacy addresses collective issues important to a school or community, the general nature of it, outside of the specificity of teaching and learning, results in greater good potentially but not in enhanced outcomes for students.
Key Elements of Parent Advocacy:
It is focused on issues, often local or community-based.
It draws upon your sphere of influence.
It is general action for the collective good of children.
It steps away from both particular parent knowledge and particular teacher knowledge.
It is situated in the broad context of a school or community.
Parent Engagement is Not…Parent Lobbying. Why?
Parent Lobbying is Focused on Policy or Legislative Change.
Parent lobbying is a form of parent advocacy that has political intent. It is specifically focussed on speaking in favor of or arguing for a cause in order to influence changes to policies or legislation. Parent lobbying promotes civic voice and civic participation. It often centers around issues of human rights (e.g. inclusion, representation, equity). Lobbying efforts represent the collective and speak on behalf of all parents. Like advocacy, lobbying has the potential to result in greater good but it does not positively affect student outcomes, given its general focus.
Key Elements of Parent Lobbying:
It is focused on political action.
It draws upon your knowledge of and commitment to a cause.
It is general action for the perceived good of children collectively.
It steps away from both particular parent knowledge and particular teacher knowledge.
It is situated in a policy or legislative context.
Understanding Impacts & Outcomes
Each of these parent roles has a distinct impact, and they are all different from one another. Parent involvement fosters trust and relationships between parents and educational staff, while parent engagement builds from those relationships to enhance student learning and well-being. Parent advocacy and parent lobbying step away from the specifics of the teaching and learning inherent to the work of schools, and to parent engagement, in order to address issues affecting a school or community, or to seek political change in policies or legislation.
Just as each of these roles is distinct, the outcomes or impact that each role achieves are also distinct. While parent involvement supports the efforts and initiatives of school personnel, potentially building greater trust and stronger relationships in the process, it reinforces the current status quo of schools and a schoolcentric approach to children’s teaching and learning. Parent engagement gives greater place and voice to parent knowledge and, as a result, has a proven positive impact on students’ attainment of educational outcomes. When parent knowledge is honored and used alongside teacher knowledge, it creates a new and familycentric approach to teaching and learning. Research indicates that when parents are engaged, students perform better academically, demonstrate increased motivation, and enhanced social and emotional well-being. In return, parents themselves experience a greater sense of empowerment, belonging, and connectedness with educators on the school landscape. Teachers, too, benefit, experiencing a greater sense of support, reduced stress, and enhanced job satisfaction.
Parent advocacy and lobbying can play an important role in education, when they lead to improved policies and practices that benefit the whole. When parents collaborate with educators to bring about positive changes, the educational landscape can better evolve to attend to the wide-ranging, diverse, and complex profiles of students and families. What it is important to note is that because parent advocacy and lobbying are not directly linked to teaching and learning, in specific and particular ways, like involvement, they may have positive benefits but not benefits that are tied to improved achievement or other educational outcomes for students.
The key to parent engagement, which is the focus of my research and teaching, is building authentic, respectful, and reciprocal relationships. When schools, educators, and parents work together, sharing their knowledge of children, teaching, and learning, the impact can be significant, leading to improved outcomes for students, parents, and teachers and to strengthened school communities. By living the beliefs and practices of “walking alongside,” we can enhance the opportunities for everyone to feel heard, valued, and engaged in a transformative process which enriches the education of our children.