Parent Engagement Frameworks for Schools
Family school partnerships framework
An Australian resource for school communities that outlines an agreed national approach for families and schools to develop partnerships through practical strategies. The original 2008 framework was updated in 2017 | LEARN MORE
Parent and community engagement framework
A Queensland Government resource to aid schools in engaging with parents and communities so they can work together to maximise student learning outcomes | LEARN MORE
Family and community engagement framework
Catholic School Parents Queensland has developed a framework and supporting resources to support schools to enhance their engagement strategies with parents | LEARN MORE
Dual capacity-building framework for family-school partnerships
A USA framework of high impact strategies to turn schools around through effective family engagement and tapping the potential of parents | LEARN MORE
For Principals
Australian Professional Standard for Principals | Standard 5, engaging and working with the community
The Australian Professional Standard for Principals is a public statement which sets out what principals are expected to know, understand and do, to achieve in their work. It is represented as an integrated model that recognises three leadership requirements that a principal draws upon within five areas of professional practice. Standard 5 outlines the expectations of engaging with families and carers, and partnering, where appropriate, with community groups, agencies and individuals, businesses or other organisations to enhance and enrich the school and its value to the wider community | LEARN MORE
For Teachers
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers | Standards 3.7 and 7.3
Teacher standards inform the development of professional learning goals, provide a framework by which teachers can judge the success of their learning and assist self-reflection and self- assessment. In these standards are KPIs for teachers to engage parents/carers in the educative process | LEARN MORE
Tool Kits
An implementation guide for school communities
The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) draws from a wide body of research to provide evidence and examples of how you can make parent and family engagement relevant to your school and community. The guide was released in January 2020. |WATCH A WEBINAR ON THE REPORT or READ THE REPORT
Ways for schools and teachers to support parents to engage in their child’s learning
This resource by the Queensland Department of Education provides schools and teachers with a range of practical ideas to engage parents in their child’s learning | LEARN MORE
Parent engagement toolkit
The Gearing up for Parent Engagement in Student Learning toolkit was developed for all Australian schools and families and released in September 2019. The toolkit is comprised of 22 modules – some for families, some for educators – and aims to get parents and educators working together to improve students’ wellbeing and learning. The Federal Government provided funding to Catholic School Parents Australia to develop the free toolkits. | LEARN MORE
Parent engagement in action: a practical guide and toolkit for schools
This Melbourne Catholic Education practical parent engagement guide and toolkit for schools outlines the learnings, key areas and steps for schools to follow | LEARN MORE
How to involve hard-to-reach parents: encouraging meaningful parental involvement in schools
This toolkit by the UK National College for School Leadership outlines practical strategies and creative ideas to engage hard-to-reach parents | LEARN MORE
Family engagement toolkit: continuous improvement through an equity lens
This toolkit by the California Department of Education shows how family engagement can be tied to specific student learning goals | LEARN MORE
Growing and sustaining parent engagement: a toolkit for parents and community partners
This toolkit features parent engagement approaches and strategies used by parents and partners involved with First 5 LA’s Partnerships For Families initiative | LEARN MORE
Audit Tools
Australian school reflection matrix and assessment tool
Australian schools can reflect on and assess their current parent engagement practices with this matrix and tool. This tool has been developed to align with the seven key dimensions of effective practice identified by the Australian Family-School Partnerships Framework | LEARN MORE
Leading and developing parental engagement: a tool to help you audit and improve your practice
The UK National College for School Leadership developed this practical audit/reflective tool to help school leaders assess their practices and success in leading and developing parent engagement | LEARN MORE
Webinars, Courses & Conference Resources
Conferences
The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) hosted a national parent engagement conference in June 2017 for over 600 delegates, bringing together educators, policymakers, parents, researchers and internationally-renowned experts to advance learning outcomes for young people | ACCESS CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Courses
Australia
The Australian Parents Council commissioned the development of the first nationally recognised Certificate IV in Parent, Family and Community Engagement. The course develops theoretical and practical expertise in parent engagement in schooling and learning, and enhanced skills in building positive relationships that encourage the best educational experience for children | LEARN MORE
USA
Harvard University Senior Lecturer on Education and parent engagement expert Dr Karen Mapp runs a six-week parent engagement course through edX | LEARN MORE
Resources
Parents and teachers: working together to foster children’s learning
This edition of the Queensland College of Teachers Research Digest examines why parental engagement is important, key features of effective collaborations, critical challenges and issues that teachers and parents may face and strategies that have helped teachers and parents build effective relationships | LEARN MORE
Engaging parents in their child’s learning and wellbeing
A research paper by Griffith University parent engagement experts Dr Linda Willis and Professor Beryl Exley called Engaging parents in their child’s learning and wellbeing: Change, continuity, and COVID-19 | LEARN MORE
Reflections on Parent Engagement in Student Learning: Strategies for Schools and Families
A reflections piece written by internationally renowned Canadian academic and author, Dr Linda Kaser containing her research, experience and insights on parent engagement | LEARN MORE
Working with parents to support children’s learning
A resource prepared by the UK’s Education Endowment Foundation which offers primary and secondary schools four practical and evidence-based recommendations on working with parents so they can support their child’s learning at home. | LEARN MORE
Planning parent engagement, a guidebook for parents and schools
A Canadian resource guidebook for parents and schools with examples of useful parental engagement exercises and proven techniques for involvement and support | LEARN MORE
Fact Sheets
Parental engagement: supporting parents to get engaged with the school community
This ACT Government fact sheet aims to assist schools to support parents to get engaged with the school community by providing examples of ways to enhance parent-school communication and school community participation | LEARN MORE
Parental engagement: building a strong culture of parent school engagement
This ACT Government fact sheet outlines how parental engagement recognises the important role that both parents and teachers play in developing positive attitudes towards learning and education for children, building their motivation and confidence as learners, and fostering their enjoyment of learning | LEARN MORE
Parental engagement: supporting children’s learning at home
This ACT Government fact sheet aims to assist schools in supporting parents in their child’s learning at home | LEARN MORE
Education capital: teacher fact sheet
This ACT Government fact sheet for teachers outlines strategies to help them create better parental engagement through partnerships between families and schools to promote children’s learning and wellbeing | LEARN MORE
Parental engagement in high schools
Studies show that parent engagement often declines as young people move into high school. According to this ACT Government fact sheet, schools can play a significant role in promoting and facilitating parental engagement, and supporting parent behaviours that benefit student outcomes in the high school years | LEARN MORE
Parental engagement: engaging with families of children with a disability
This ACT Government fact sheet helps educators engage with families of children with disability. It will help them understand the Disability Standards for Education, how to strengthen relationships with families and key stakeholders and how to develop an individual learning plan | LEARN MORE
Parental engagement: engaging with ATSI Australian families
This ACT Government fact sheet helps educators engage with families of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. It will help them review parental engagement strategies, show respect for experience and culture of ATSI families, and assist indigenous families in engagement | LEARN MORE
Parental engagement: engaging with families for whom English is an additional language or dialect
This ACT Government fact sheet helps educators engage with families for whom English is an additional language or dialect. It will help them review parental engagement strategies, show respect for the experiences, culture and language of families for whom English is an additional language/dialect and how to connect to support parental engagement by EAL/D families | LEARN MORE
Parental engagement in boarding schools: frequently asked questions
This Boarding Australia Q&A sheet provides tips for parents and schools on how boarding and school staff can support parents and families to engage and partner in their children’s learning and schooling | LEARN MORE
Transitions: how Queensland schools can encourage parent engagement from the start
According to this QIS Parents Network fact sheet, a positive start to school has been shown to have lifelong impacts. Children who start well are more likely to feel relaxed, be motivated to learn and achieve more | LEARN MORE
Posters
To promote what parents can do at home
The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) created six posters for ACT schools that highlight key activities parents can do to support their child’s learning | LEARN MORE