Family Engagement in a Pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 has introduced a new “normal.” During the pandemic, parents of young children and parents of children enrolled in special education have had to assume the role and so perform as teachers. Teachers have had to find ways to include parents who are willing to serve as de facto teachers. In addition to findings from the Ontario Alliance of Black School Educators (ONABSE) webinar series in 2020, this chapter also draws on other publicly available online documents to reveal the ever-changing education landscape in Ontario, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Family literacy was examined broadly through family engagement practices. This chapter shows that there is no one essential story emerging from the pandemic. To date, very few stories have been told of the students who have blossomed and flourished during the pandemic. By gathering stories of the thoughts and actions of Black educators and parents, the chapter augments the existing literature on home-school-community partnerships in Ontario.