“Enhancing connections within families, between families, their communities and the institutions that affect them results in better outcomes for children and their families. Family and community involvement that is linked to student learning has a greater effect on achievement than more general forms of involvement. This brief seeks to describe the role parental involvement in education has on child well being in low income communities. While the focus is on parental involvement in education, lessons learned can and should be applied to other fields serving children and families. The premise of family strengthening, in this context and as championed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is that children do well when cared for by supportive families, which, in turn, do better when they live in vital and supportive communities. Aside from highlighting emerging practices in the field, this brief will examine the role parental involvement plays in family driven community development and propose policy recommendations for taking this practice to scale.” – Publisher’s description CONTENTS Parental Involvement: Definition Research Benefits of Parental Involvement Family-School-Community Partnerships Family Involvment in Education – The Challenge Practices from the field Federal Initiatives Policy Recommendations Resources References
