by Paige DeLozier
Family engagement is a concept that some educators specialize in, while others are less familiar with it. Nonetheless, everyone has an opinion on the topic, and many of these opinions are based on myths.
We’re here with the research that dispels those myths once and for all.
Myth #1: Family Engagement can only be effective in person
As much as educators and families want to have every conversation in person, do every conference at a table, and have overflowing classrooms for open house, the reality isn’t quite so cut and dry.
Face-to-face interactions with students’ families cannot be dismissed as they will always be a valuable way to gain insight and build relationships. However, it’s near impossible to gather a significant number of families for regular in-person meetings. Transportation, working hours, language barriers, and more often stand in the way of families coming to school events.
This calls for a new solution. A new era has arrived: the era of tech-enabled family engagement.
In fact, research shows that the use of TalkingPoints, the Universal Family Engagement solution that enables schools and families to engage through text messages, improved student outcomes in academics and attendance overall. Myth busted!
Myth #2: Family Engagement is the responsibility of certain staff
There is a reason some educators have more expert knowledge on the topic of family engagement than others. The expectation for teachers to be highly engaged with families varies significantly.
Depending upon who you ask, the responsibility of engaging families across a school or district could be that of classroom teachers, school principals, ESOL teachers, or specific committees dedicated to community involvement.
While focusing efforts of departments on family and community engagement is crucial in moving the work forward, involving and engaging with students’ families is an ongoing strategy that is the daily duty of every educator and staff member.
Dr. Karen L. Mapp, Harvard Graduate School of Education, speaks on avoiding silos in taking responsibility for family engagement.
Myth #3: Family Engagement is time-consuming
While any activity worth doing takes time, family engagement done right will actually save teachers time and work.
TalkingPoints makes educators’ jobs easier by providing them access to tools like message scheduling, templates by category, Message Mentor, and embedded best practice tips.
There is also much to be said for the time educators spend attempting to contact families via landline and email when those are outdated forms of communication. Phone calls and emails are unreliable ways to connect with families due to existing barriers like lack of internet access and unpredictable working hours.
According to Pew Research Center, 97% of Americans now own a cellphone of some kind. (Pew Research Center, 2024) Texting is the form of communication almost everyone has and uses as their first touchpoint. Meeting families where they are, with the technology they have, is an important part of engaging them without wasting valuable time and resources.
Myth #4: Family Engagement breaks the bank
As with most things in education, family engagement solutions cost money. This is sometimes the reason it gets pushed aside or even forgotten because there just isn’t always enough funding to go around.
Think again! TalkingPoints works hard to provide a Universal Family Engagement solution that teachers, schools and districts across the country can access with existing resources.
For example, effective family engagement improves attendance rates, leading to increased funding for many districts. This investment yields returns not only in financial terms but also in academic performance, student well-being, teacher retention, and more.
Schools & Districts
Implementing a school- or district-wide family engagement solution to streamline communication doesn’t have to be the stressful event it sounds like. Not only is TalkingPoints a research-based solution proven to improve student outcomes like attendance and academics, but we provide funding source recommendations to lighten the load for decision-makers.
General funds, Title I, Title III, and Title IV funding can all be used to fund your TalkingPoints account. Request a demo with one of our team members to learn more.
Teachers
Individual teachers who are not part of a paid school or district partnership with TalkingPoints are not out of luck. Because of the generosity and support of our funders, we are able to provide the free TalkingPoints for Teachers app on web and mobile.
No fees, no ads, just meaningful connections between teachers and families. Register for your free account today.
Myth #5: Family Engagement is the end goal
Dr. Karen L. Mapp, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and TalkingPoints advisor, has made clear through her years of research that having effectively engaged families is not an end goal for a school or district but an ongoing strategy that impacts all other student outcomes.
Dr. Karen L. Mapp, Harvard Graduate School of Education, shares how many students view their families’ influence on their success.
Studies have shown that family engagement is twice as effective as socioeconomic status in predicting a student’s success. (Mapp & Henderson 2002.) This data is hard to ignore and further supports the importance of all stakeholders being well-trained and supported in the pursuit of effective family engagement.
TalkingPoints is an education technology nonprofit with a mission to improve student outcomes by unlocking the superpower of effective family-school partnerships. The TalkingPoints Universal Family Engagement platform combines access for all families regardless of barrier or circumstance with embedded research-based guidance for educators, actionable data-informed insights, and universally designed two-way auto-translated preferred language communication.
Ten of the country’s twenty largest school districts trust TalkingPoints to create a culture where all families, no matter their background, can meaningfully partner in their children’s education. See how TalkingPoints can support your community.
Citations:
Author, N. (2024, April 25). Mobile Fact sheet. Pew Research Center.
Unknown. (n.d.). The Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (Version 2).
