Parent Engagement

I've been putting off writing about this topic.  First of all, I can't think of much of an "angle" to make it interesting to the layperson.  But I've passed through so many touch-points on the matter lately, that I figure now is as good a time as any. 

Parent involvement in schools is a complicated love-hate relationship, or to describe it more accurately a delicate and tenuous one.  Schools and parents are partners in a child's overall education, and we absolutely rely on parents to share our values so that when a child's behavior turns sideways we count on mom or dad to set things straight at home.  On the other hand, our ability to operate with efficiency and fairness is often diminished when parents begin to behave in overbearing ways. 

This general topic has come up repeatedly in the course of my day-to-day activities of late: 

• My district is in the midst of a massive push to increase parent "engagement."  We choose "engagement" over "involvement" because of how the word implies a responsibility on the part of educators to reach out to parents. 
• My district is also trying to redefine what parent engagement means.  Traditionally, we think of parent involvement in terms of classroom volunteering, fund-raising, and the like.  The new age definition, however, is far more broad and includes what a parent does at home to support a child's needs--everything from making sure they aren't hungry to providing basic school supplies to having conversations over dinner.  Personally, I think this broader scope overlaps too much with the simple notion of "good parenting."  I'd rather the concept be more focused on what we can measure or track at school, otherwise there can never be any accountability.  
• I just completed a half-year tenure on a district-level committee convened to establish a school board policy on the topic.  
• Last week, I was both a participant and a facilitator in a half-day training on parent engagement that was attended by some 200 educators.  (Of course, their attendance was required, so one cannot draw any conclusion about the level of interest based upon that number.)  My most visible role in the training was being part of a panel of experts that answered questions about increasing involvement among families from minority backgrounds.  
• I attended my first ever PTO meeting last week.  I was expecting to walk into a room of 50 parents, but in fact, there was only a modest group of five.  I came away with a deep admiration for the sincerity of the small band of mothers (and one father).  
• At my other school, we had our annual "bring your parents to school" day which was surprisingly well attended.  Unfortunately, as in years' past, so many parents just couldn't exercise the simple courtesy of refraining from text messaging and taking cell calls right in the middle of classroom activities.  Such a shame that a potentially meaningful event ends up consistently leaving a sour taste in teachers' mouths. 
• And finally, our district is in the process of kicking off a campaign urging our community to a pass a local school operating bond.  Since the vast majority of voters don't have a child in school, our level of "engagement" with parents and other community members will be critical in order for there to be a successful outcome.