"Collaborating for Success" - Parent Engagement Toolkit (Updated 2/13/13)

(for translated Toolkits in both Arabic and Spanish please scroll to the bottom of the webpage)

Parent Engagement is vital to student achievement and personal success.

According to research, the most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school is not income or social status, but the extent to which that student's family is able to:

1. Create a home environment that encourages learning
2. Communicate high, yet reasonable, expectations for their children's achievement and future careers
3. Become involved in their children's education at school and in the community

These three seemingly simple steps require dedication and commitment from all students, parents, and school personnel. The resulting benefit of this investment in time and effort is well worth the future aspirations and success of every child. Please review the following list of Academic Benefits of Parent Engagement:

BENEFITS OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT

1. Students achieve more, regardless of socio-economic status, ethnic/racial background or the parents' education level
2. Students have higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and complete homework more consistently
3. Students have higher graduation rates and greater enrollment rates in post-secondary education
4. Educators hold higher expectations of students whose parents collaborate with the teacher
5. Student achievement for disadvantaged children not only improves, but can also reach levels that are standard for middle-class children. In addition, the children who are farthest behind make the greatest gains.
6. Children from diverse cultural backgrounds perform better when parents and professionals collaborate to bridge the gap between the culture at home and at the learning institution
7. Student behaviors such as alcohol use, violence, and antisocial behavior decrease as parent engagement increases
8. Students keep pace with academic performance if their parents participate in school events, develop a working relationship with educators, and keep up with what is happening with their child's school
9. Junior and senior high school students whose parents remain involved make better transitions, maintain the quality of their work, and develop realistic plans for their future. Students whose parents are not involved, on the other hand, are more likely to drop out of school.

TAKING ACTION TO INCREASE PARENT ENGAGEMENT

Each member of the educational community plays a critical role in the academic and personal success of our students. We encourage you to continue your current efforts. However, we are challenging you to take your effort to the next level and get your students' parents engaged and increase academic results.

Below you will find some suggestions that we believe each audience can do to increase parent engagement. These simple but powerful action steps fully implemented will result in increased parent engagement, and positively impact student attendance, academic achievement and will result in students having higher expectations of themselves and their teachers. Here is what each of you can do:

The Michigan Department of Education Offices have developed the "Collaborating For Success" Parent Engagement Toolkit; a comprehensive, research-based resource that includes pertinent and practical information, proven strategies and tools to assist you in enhancing your parent engagement efforts and/or providing a simple yet powerful guide to jump start your program. We encourage you to take full advantage of this excellent resource.Download the Entire "Collaborating For Success" Parent Engagement Toolkit

SECTION V Endnotes Bibliography Glossary Of Terms	Additional Resources For Parents Additional Resources For Schools And Districts Parent and Family Engagement

Spanish	Arabic