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# engaging families, engaging schools

Michelann Parr, Ph.D.

## Posts

- [Courageous Conversations](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/04/09/courageous-conversations/) - At some point in a child’s educational career, families and teachers will face a difficult conversation that needs to be handled with respect and integrity. These are not easy. It could be something simple like the inevitable phone call home about a minor altercation or something more difficult such as discussing a child’s ongoing struggle to
- [Special Forks, Broken Lamps, and Lullabies: Engaging Families Through Story](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/10/16/special-forks-broken-lamps-and-lullabies-engaging-families-through-story/) - Family stories allow school communities to connect with families in ways they had not thought possible – with those who have come before, those who are here, and those who are yet to be. Stories . . . provide all the vital instruction we need to live a useful, necessary, and unbounded life - a life of meaning, a life
- [Habits of Flourishing School Community Councils](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/12/05/habits-of-flourishing-school-community-councils/) - A list of ways that school councils can enhance profile and seek greater membership by setting goals, checking assumptions, and communicating often and in diverse ways.
- [Learning to Do School. . . This Time as Parent](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/09/18/learning-to-do-school-again-this-time-as-parent/) - Children and families arrive at the school doors, full of possibility. As children learn to do school, parents and families learn to do school all over again, this time with a much different purpose. The role of parents and families is discussed at length in research publications, curriculum and policy documents, even the media where families are
- [One More Marble in the Jar: What Does Trust Have to Do With It?](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/09/25/one-more-marble-in-the-jar-what-does-trust-have-to-do-with-it-2/) - Each day, parents and families send schools the very best that they can. They entrust their little ones (and their big ones) to school communities they may not know, hoping that all will be well on the landscape of school. Families need to know that their efforts are valued and they need to trust that
- [The Youth Connection: At the Heart of Secondary Family Engagement](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/10/02/the-youth-connection-at-the-heart-of-secondary-engagement/) - The Spirit of Youth (St. Dominic’s High School, Bracebridge, ON) Engaging families of youth can often be challenging. Factors such as multiple teachers, increasingly complex homework assignments, out-of-school activities, prior experiences, even the growing independence and autonomy of youth may present a landscape in which families feel out of their comfort zone. School communities, in collaboration with
- [Empowering Families to Communicate with Confidence](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/10/09/empowering-families-to-communicate-with-confidence/) - Not all families feel the same level of comfort talking and communicating with schools. Most can easily and willingly share their children’s strengths, needs, successes, struggles, interests, hopes, and dreams. Many struggle with how to ask questions, what to ask, and how often to ask. Some are uncertain how often to contact the school and when. Yet others wonder
- [Partnership, Engagement, Involvement: Is It Really Just Semantics?](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/10/23/partnership-engagement-involvement-is-it-really-just-semantics/) - Whether we are members of the school, community, or family, the goal is always the same - for families and schools to engage with children in a meaningful partnership, regardless of the descriptive term. When defining what is understood by engagement, involvement, or partnership, there must first be "a profound recognition that parents are the first
- [How Do I Share Information? Let Me Count the Ways](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/10/30/how-do-i-share-information-let-me-count-the-ways/) - Sometimes, communication with families is just about sharing information - details about school community events, policies, fundraisers, etc. Today, there are so many communication strategies to choose from. Why not apply the principle of differentiation in order to ensure that school/class messages are received in a timely and balanced way by the greatest number of families possible? A Note
- [Communication For Good and For Bad](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/11/06/communication-for-good-and-for-bad/) - There will be times when schools have no choice but to share less than positive news with families; such communication is better received when schools communicate the good as well as the bad. When the negative is balanced with the positive, families are more receptive to problem-solving and less productive decisions can be viewed as opportunities to learn and
- [Family-School Math Adventures](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/11/14/family-school-math-adventures/) - No matter where you turn today, mathematics is a hot topic - in school, in media, in the world, and in the homes of families and children. Changes to the mathematics curriculum over the years from skill and drill-based activities to problem-solving and process work leave many families scratching their heads about the new
- ['Tis The Season… Progress Reports and Conferences](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/11/19/tis-the-season-progress-reports-and-conferences/) - Children, youth, and families often await the first reporting cycle with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. While they may have kept in touch with the school, supervised homework, or reviewed work sent home periodically, there is still a wonder about how it will all translate into a formal grade and a comment on
- [Family-School Ways to Well-Being - We're All in This Together!](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/11/27/family-school-ways-to-well-being-were-all-in-this-together/) - Student well-being is an increasing concern for home and school. Many children and youth experience bouts of anxiety, stress, and isolation at some point over the course of their educational careers. Families and schools that make well-being a priority emphasize strong relationships, positive communication, risk-taking, self-confidence, and management of physical health and emotions. This can seem like
- [ABCs of Engaged Families in the 21st Century](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/12/11/abcs-of-engaged-families-in-the-21st-century/) - The sheer bombardment of information about parenting and raising a family is intimidating, particularly for those who are looking for a simple answer to what they feel is a simple question. How can schools, school councils, school boards, community agencies, or even other families help families to weed through all this stuff in a way that
- [Engaging Families, Engaging Schools: The Year in Review](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2014/12/18/engaging-families-engaging-schools-our-year-in-review/) - A summary of strategies tried and true by school communities, including teachers, families, educational assistants, and administrators.
- [A New Year's Resolutions: Tips for Attaining Family-School Engagement Goals](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/01/08/a-new-years-resolutions-tips-for-attaining-our-goals/) - The start of a new year (regardless of whether it is a calendar year or an academic year) is a fresh opportunity, a clean palette, and a time to go exploring. It is a perfect time to establish new routines and try new strategies that will bring family and school closer together. It is a
- [Feel the Difference, Share the Experience, Imagine the Future](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/01/15/feel-the-difference-share-the-experience-imagine-the-future/) - Engaging families of secondary students is not always easy, but with creativity and imagination, it is possible.
- [A Warm and Safe Welcome](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/01/22/a-warm-and-safe-welcome/) - Ensuring that families feel valued and safe not the landscape of school is not always easy. It requires careful consideration and planning.
- [Engaged or Not? That is Often the Question](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/01/29/engaged-or-not-that-is-often-the-question/) - Exploringthe diverse views and perspectives of what it means to be engaged. What might look like engagement to a family may not look the same to school.
- [Homework or Inspired Family-School Practice?](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/02/06/homework-or-inspired-family-school-practice/) - An exploration of the purposes, consequences (social, emotional, intellectual, learning), and practices of homework for both families and schools. A twist on homework as inspired family-school practice.
- [Family-School Engagement with Simplicity in Mind](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/02/11/family-school-engagement-with-simplicity-in-mind/) - Our current culture sets us up to approach life with a want more, need more stance that keeps families and schools filling children’s spaces and times with many activities. But does it really need to be that way? And do all those activities really make a difference in the grand scheme of academic success and
- [Inspiring Collective Confidence: We Know We Can!](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/02/19/inspiring-collective-confidence-we-know-we-can/) - One of the four goals of Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario is enhancing public confidence. Cultivating pride and inspiring collective confidence in the work of our children, families, and schools is a journey of multiple steps and multiple pathways. The more we engage as family and school communities, the more confidence we
- [Welcome to Kindergarten! Engagement from the Very Beginning](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/02/26/welcome-to-kindergarten-engagement-from-the-very-beginning/) - Over the years, research has demonstrated that parents and families are the first and most powerful educators of children. As a child enters kindergarten, this learning continues, ideally in partnership between children, families, and schools. Early years teachers, early childhood educators, administration, and community agencies have the first opportunity to welcome families in, celebrate family
- [Family-School Engagement: How Do We Measure Up?](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/03/06/family-school-engagement-how-do-we-measure-up/) - Understanding the complexities of measuring family-school engagement and parent involvement.
- [Too Much, Too Little, or Just the Right Amount of Struggle: What Do Butterflies Have to Do With Engagement?](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/03/12/too-much-too-little-or-just-the-right-amount-of-struggle-what-do-butterflies-have-to-do-with-engagement/) - A discussion of parent involvement, family-school engagement from the perspective of a butterfly's need to struggle.
- [What Matters Most in Family-School Engagement?](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/03/27/what-matters-most-in-family-school-engagement/) - Today’s families, schools, and communities often feel pulled in many different directions for many different purposes. Societal norms, curricular expectations, self-imposed and peer pressures, even media portrayals of what is right and wrong leave many of us wondering, What matters most? If we look both inward and outward, backward and forward, we know that that
- [What's in a Mindset?](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/04/24/whats-in-a-mindset/) - There is absolutely no doubt that family-school engagement enhances family-school well-being, collective confidence, and school climate. But it does not come without its struggles. While both families and schools can identify numerous things to do each and every day and the mindsets needed to enhance the connection, it is often difficult to find our way there.
- [Birds, Bees, Butterflies, and Children!](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/2015/06/09/birds-bees-butterflies-and-children/) - Birds, bees, and butterflies fly busily from one flower to another, unintentionally pollinating, making plants healthier, stronger, and a little more resilient to environmental factors. In the same way, children flit busily through the many contexts of their lives – family, school, and community – unknowingly sharing energy, enthusiasm, and excitement wherever they go. As adults

## Pages

- [About](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/about/) - introductory page to blog with researcher context
- [Family-School Resources](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/family-school-resources/) - Distributable Tip Sheets that support families and schools in a collaborative focus on various curricular areas (well-being, math, language).

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/uncategorized/)
- [Communication](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/communication/)
- [Empowering Families](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/empowering-families/)
- [Welcoming Families](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/welcoming-families/)
- [Exploring Assumptions](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/exploring-assumptions/)
- [Understanding Family Engagement](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/understanding-family-engagement/)
- [Strategies for Schools and Teachers](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/strategies-for-schools-and-teachers/)
- [Strategies for Families](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/strategies-for-families/)
- [Getting Started](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/getting-started/)
- [Secondary and Youth Engagement](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/secondary-and-youth-engagement/)
- [Reporting to Families](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/reporting-to-families/)
- [Strategies for School Community Councils](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/strategies-for-school-community-councils/)
- [Home Work](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/home-work/)
- [Home Practice](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/home-practice/)
- [Enhancing Public Confidence](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/enhancing-public-confidence/)
- [Measuring Family Engagement](https://familyengagement.nipissingu.ca/category/measuring-family-engagement/)