Year in Review: Family and Community Engagement

by Aaron Leo and Kristen C. Wilcox

Family and community engagement has been a high priority for NYKids since its inception in 2005. More recently, we noted in an article published in the School Community Journal the importance of family-school partnerships and ways in which educators at positive outlier schools engaged families using culturally responsive and asset-based approaches.

As the year comes to a close, we take stock of the upheaval caused by COVID-19 and reflect on what we have learned about the importance of family and community engagement to children’s and youth’s development.

What Research Tells Us About Using Effective Communication Strategies

In a recent blog, NYKids research assistant Jessie Tobin and NYKids Director Kristen C. Wilcox discussed effective communication strategies that educators may use to engage parents and families during the transition back to in-person learning. Collaborative relationships, the authors write, have “yielded mutually beneficial results” especially when such relationships are complemented by inclusive and culturally responsive practices in the classroom.

Additional strategies include the use of apps to communicate directly with family members and scheduling home visits to check in personally with students and their families. As the authors explain: “Navigating a changing landscape of pandemic uncertainty, social and political unrest, climate-induced stressors, and demands for racial justice in combination pose challenges for school staff’s communications with parents, family members, and community members”

School-Community Partnerships Foster Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In February, Dr. Gayle Simidian, Research Analyst with the New York State School Boards Association contributed a blog post focusing on the promise of school-community partnerships to fill a “needs gap” that might otherwise go unfilled in many school districts. As she writes, “The COVID-19 global pandemic has prompted school leaders to utilize the social and human capital inherent in their local communities to ensure school personnel, students and families are getting their needs met in real time during a dynamic and uncertain time period.”

To illustrate the importance of school-community partnerships and their possibility to “foster resilience,” Dr. Simidian explored three examples of collaborations across New York State. Dr Simidian concludes: “The organic connections and relationships inherent in local communities provide seeds for developing and nurturing social and human capital that can support and sustain the healthy academic and socio-emotional development of our youth.”

Starting with Communication: Lessons for Leaders from Positive Outlier Schools

The Importance of Two-way Communication Strategies with Families

In September, research coordinator Maria Khan discussed the importance of two-way communications with parents and families. Drawing on her own perspective as a parent as well as those of several parents in the area, Maria called attention to the need to highlight parents’ concerns in these uncertain times. As she writes: “[T]he communication breakdowns between school staff and parents and families is rising to the top of issues needing to be addressed.”

Please refer to our resource page for ways that educators can improve engagement with families and communities and continue to follow our blog posts for the latest news related to NYKids research and projects.

As always, we thank you for your interest in NYKids and encourage you to reach out to nykids@albany.edu for further insights and direct support needs.