A framework for family engagement : Going beyond the Epstein Framework

Abstract

This paper proposes a new framework for schools to use in evaluating and supporting their work around parental engagement. The paper begins by briefly examining the concept of parental engagement and moves on to an examination of the Epstein framework, which is the most widely used framework. This framework was first proposed in the last century, and the paper notes the advances in our understanding of parental engagement since that time. The paper concludes by offering a new framework to replace the one currently most often used. An appendix gives a practitioner’s version of the framework to enable planning and evaluation.

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for Family Engagement: Insights from the Initial Teacher Education Syllabus

“…Proper training in this area has a positive impact on family involvement and participation [67]. Its benefits and importance have been proved repeatedly and consistently over the years [68][69][70][71]. Family involvement and participation in education (FIPE) is widely accepted as a policy and educational ideal; however, efforts in terms of curricular coverage within initial teachers' education courses have not kept pace with the demands of the educational agenda [72].…”

Teachers and School Leaders’ Readiness for Parental Engagement: Critical Policy Analysis of Canadian Standards

“…Second, policies do not make a clear distinction between the broader notion of parental engagement in education and learning and more narrow parental involvement in schooling (Goodall, 2018(Goodall, , 2022. The terms are often used interchangeably or in a very general sense, which makes it difficult to distinguish between the family-centered concept of engagement and the school-centered notion of involvement.…”

“…There are also some attempts to move toward a holistic approach to partnerships where the interests of schools, families, and communities are intertwined (Yukon Education, 2013). These goals are undermined by a lack of distinction between parental engagement in education and learning (often centered around home and community) and parental involvement in schooling (Goodall, 2018(Goodall, , 2022. Teachers and school leaders have to be aware of such distinctions to ensure equitable parent-school collaboration because parents from dominant groups are traditionally seen as more actively involved in school (Lareau, 2015), while many racialized, immigrant, and low-SES parents feel more confident to be engaged in the home domain (Crozier & Davies, 2007).…”

“…I studied policy documents and applied thematic coding with a combination of pre-set and emergent codes (Saldaña, 2021). Pre-set codes were generated with the help of the literature on teacher standards (Ingersoll et al, 1997;Sachs, 2003), parental engagement (Goodall, 2022;Lareau, 2015), and teacher readiness for parental engagement (E. J. de Bruïne et al, 2014;Saltmarsh et al, 2015). Examples of preset codes include parental involvement, parental engagement, partnerships, school improvement, teacher standards, leadership standards.…”

“…It is crucial for teachers to know that parents are engaged in their children’s education in different ways across their educational lifespan. It is useful to make a distinction between parental involvement in school (attending events, volunteering, fundraising, communicating with teachers; Jeynes, 2018) and parental engagement in education and learning, which apart from the above-mentioned school-based activities includes things that parents do at home and in the community (having high aspirations for children’s education and discussing it, providing academic socialization through reading for pleasure and attending cultural events, providing additional instruction via tutoring; Goodall, 2022; Goodall & Montgomery, 2014).…”