Parent Engagement In Education During the Pandemic

This is what it looks like

Introduction

I define parent and family engagement in education as

“the mutual dedication, cooperation, and support that educators, parents, and other caregivers share as students are being educated”.

My definition prevailed before the devastation of the coronavirus disrupted the educational process for students enrolled in schools everywhere. My definition continues to remain viable as the impact of the pandemic has interrupted, replaced, modified, and revamped systems of instructional delivery and student learning. The reason why parent and family engagement is important is simple. It promotes a shared commitment to the education of students that parents and educators remain accountable to.

One Thing Never Changes

Family engagement is all about teachers and the other adults who work in school systems developing and sustaining positive relationships with their student’s parents.

I promote the belief that educators must take the lead in reaching out to parents and getting to know them by remaining dedicated to understanding their unique characteristics. Educators must accept and respect the diversity of all parents unconditionally. Doing so opens the door for them to form a partnership with their student’s parents. When educators and parents work together as a unified team, wonderful benefits for students emerge. Educators and parents also reap powerful benefits when they collaborate with one another. Increased student performance, the strengthened capacity to provide continuous instruction, and parent autonomy are among these dynamic universal advantages.

Effective communication results when parents and teachers as well as other school leaders are educational partners. Whether it is through telephone calls, emails, text messages, video chats, letters, postcards, newsletters, home visits, personal conversations, or conferences, open lines of communications builds the capacity for parents and school personnel to work together in harmony. This also includes educators assuming the responsibility of translating school related communications in the native language of the parents who are non-English speaking or English learners.

When teachers inform parents of their classroom and school wide expectations, share curricular information as well as student progress data with them, and provide them with helpful strategies that they are able to use at home to support their children, the door opens for mutual unity to grow. Conversely, when parents are responsive to school related matters that involve their child, participate in their child’s learning experiences, remain involved in their child’s education at home, and share relevant student related information with educators, their engagement becomes solidifies.

Even though the pandemic has resulted in unprecedented educational changes within schools and school districts, the need for authentic parent and teacher partnerships to flourish remains unchanged. Communication continues to be a critical function of parent engagement during this challenging time. Even if students are educated within traditional schools with safety protocols in place, in a hybrid model where they are educated online part of the time and at their school the rest of the time, or in a full-time virtual program, the need for educators and parents to work together to support students continues to remain constant.

Conclusion

The pandemic has resulted in various changes in student learning and instructional delivery. These shifts in education have posed unique challenges that students, parents, and school personnel have needed to adjust to. The thing that has not changed as the coronavirus continues to surge is the importance of parents and educators purposefully working together as an educational team. When they function as partners, students experience higher levels of overall success. Mutual communications between teachers and parents opens the door for engagement to increase.

If you appreciated this story and have a desire to explore the benefits of parent engagement in education, I invite you to read the story below.

Here is my golden ticket that helps me accomplish my mission.

Dr. Deborah M. Vereen is a retired Teacher and School Administrator. Her website is www.Drdeborahmvereen.com and her YouTube Channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS1DPhBeA29UlybU9jzDkdQ.