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The Barriers and Benefits to Family Engagement
The Benefits and Barriers of Family Engagement in Education
Family engagement is widely recognized as a key factor in student success, contributing to higher achievement, better behavior, and stronger school communities. However, despite the overwhelming benefits, both families and educators face significant barriers that prevent meaningful collaboration.
This article examines over 25 years of research on the benefits of family engagement, the vital roles parents play in supporting schools, and the barriers that hinder effective partnerships—including challenges faced by both families and educators.
Family engagement is widely recognized as a key factor in student success, contributing to higher achievement, better behavior, and stronger school communities. However, despite the overwhelming benefits, both families and educators face significant barriers that prevent meaningful collaboration.
This article explores the benefits of family engagement, the roles parents can play in supporting schools, and the barriers that prevent effective partnerships, including challenges faced by both families and educators.
The Six Roles of Parent Involvement
The American Association of School Administrators (1998) identified six key roles that parents often assume in schools. Recognizing these roles can help schools tailor engagement opportunities that align with parents' strengths and interests.
1. Change Agent – Parents who advocate for students' needs and influence policies.
Activities: Serving on school boards, advisory councils, and task forces.
2. Communicator – Parents who are natural networkers and share school information.
Activities: Managing newsletters, coordinating phone trees, and organizing parent groups.
3. Tutor – Parents who enjoy providing direct academic support.
Activities: Tutoring students, providing enrichment programs, and teaching family literacy.
4. Program Coordinator – Parents with organizational and marketing skills.
Activities: Organizing fundraisers, school events, and appreciation luncheons.
5. Front-line Assistant – Parents who assist with daily school operations.
Activities: Volunteering as classroom aides, chaperoning field trips, and grading papers.
6. Community Liaison – Parents who connect schools with external resources.
Activities: Partnering with local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders.
When schools recognize and embrace these diverse forms of engagement, they can broaden participation and strengthen partnerships with families.
The Benefits of Family Engagement
Research consistently shows that family engagement leads to positive student outcomes:
✅ Higher Academic Achievement – Students with engaged families perform better in school, earning higher grades and test scores.
✅ Improved Attendance – Family involvement reduces absenteeism and increases student motivation.
✅ Better Behavior and Social Skills – Engaged families support students in developing self-discipline and positive social interactions.
✅ Increased Graduation Rates – High school students with involved families are more likely to graduate and pursue higher education.
✅ Stronger School Communities – Family engagement fosters a collaborative school culture where families and educators work together for student success.
Barriers to Family Involvement
Despite the clear benefits, many families struggle to engage in their children's education due to systemic barriers:
Challenges Faced by Families
🔹 Limited Time and Resources – Work schedules, transportation issues, and lack of childcare prevent families from participating in school events (Caplan, 2000).
🔹 Lack of Comfort and Confidence – Some parents feel unwelcome or intimidated in school settings, particularly if they had negative experiences themselves (Jones, 2001).
🔹 Parent-Teacher Tension – Miscommunication and lack of trust between parents and educators can lead to conflicts (Baker, 2000).
🔹 Language and Cultural Barriers – Mismatched communication styles between families and schools hinder collaboration, especially in diverse communities (Liontos, 1992).
🔹 Mobility and Instability – Frequent moves, especially in low-income or urban areas, make it difficult for families to build long-term relationships with schools (Metropolitan St. Louis, 2004).
🔹 Decreased Involvement in Higher Grades – Parent engagement tends to drop as students enter middle and high school, as teens seek independence and parents feel less needed (Caplan, 2000).
Challenges Faced by Educators
Family engagement is not just challenging for parents—educators also face significant barriers in preparing for and implementing effective family partnerships. The National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE 2022) outlines several key challenges:
🔹 Family Engagement is Seen as an "Add-On" – Educator preparation programs prioritize other state-mandated requirements, leaving little time to focus on family engagement training.
🔹 Limited Hands-On Opportunities for Teachers – Teacher candidates must complete clinical training as part of their licensure, but these opportunities rarely involve family engagement due to privacy concerns or limited school partnerships.
🔹 Minimal Focus on Family Engagement in Licensure Requirements – In many states, family engagement is not prioritized in teacher certification requirements and, even when it is, enforcement is often weak.
🔹 Lack of Training for Faculty – Many university faculty members are not trained in family engagement themselves, making it difficult to incorporate these topics into teacher education courses.
🔹 Weak Statewide Frameworks for Family Engagement – Many states lack clear definitions, guidelines, or policies on how family engagement should be integrated into educator training. Without a statewide framework, teacher preparation programs often overlook its importance.
🔹 Limited Professional Standards for Family Engagement – Unlike other areas of teacher training, there is no universal set of professional competencies for educators to practice family engagement across grade levels.
This lack of structure makes it difficult to design effective training programs.
Overcoming Barriers: Strategies for Schools and Educators
To maximize family engagement, schools must take intentional steps to support both families and educators:
✅ Make Family Engagement a Core Part of Teacher Training – Schools of education should embed family engagement coursework into teacher preparation programs.
✅ Expand Opportunities for Educators to Work with Families – Partner schools should provide more clinical experiences where future educators engage with families in meaningful ways.
✅ Develop Strong Statewide Frameworks – States should create clear definitions and expectations for family engagement and require schools to implement them.
✅ Provide Continuous Professional Development – Schools should offer regular training for teachers and administrators on effective family engagement strategies.
✅ Strengthen School-Family Communication – Schools should proactively reach out to families, provide translated materials, and create culturally responsive engagement opportunities.
✅ Recognize and Support Faculty in Family Engagement Research – Higher education institutions should acknowledge faculty contributions in this area as a valuable field of scholarship.
✅ Foster a Collaborative Culture – Schools must create a welcoming environment for families, ensuring that parents feel valued and included in decision-making.
Conclusion
Family engagement is one of the most powerful ways to support student success, yet systemic barriers prevent both families and educators from working together effectively. Schools, teacher preparation programs, and policymakers must commit to removing these barriers by prioritizing family engagement in educator training, state policies, and school practices. By strengthening family-school partnerships, we can create a more inclusive, supportive, and effective education system that benefits every student.