Engagement. It’s a word that frequently pops up in discussions about the role of parents and other community members in K-12 education. But what exactly does it mean?
The National PTA highlighted the need for a common definition to the term on its website today.
Sherri Wilson, the organization’s senior Manager of Family and Community Engagement, noted that engagement can apply to actions outside of volunteering in the classroom: “We now know that the things families do at home with their children have the biggest impact on how well children do in school. It’s great if families can come to school and participate, and I hope that all of them do, but they can still be engaged even if they don’t.”
Wilson laid out a three-pronged definition to family engagement in her post, but we’re hoping our readers can help brainstorm a more succinct description. Submit your own one-sentence definition of family engagement via the form below, and feel free to leave additional thoughts in the comments.