Family and Community Engagement

Public schools depend on the support of families and their communities to thrive, and with the rise in social media and technology they have more ways than ever to communicate and engage with these constituents. This section shows some of the best strategies, examples of success, and resources for family and community engagement.

Principals helping build a playground at school

Group of parents and children sitting in circle

Stories from the Field

Kindness in Motion: Providing Students Opportunities to Serve Others

Empowering students to serve others through acts of kindness is something we at Regional School District No. 7 in Connecticut strive to do through a program called Kindness in Motion. The inspiration for this program came four years ago when our superintendent, Judy Palmer, saw a program on CBS Sunday...

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Partnerships in Nashville Schools Strengthen Services and Programs

When the academy model was implemented in Metro Nashville Public Schools’ (MNPS) high schools about 10 years ago, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce was actively involved in designing the academies and leading efforts to connect schools with businesses in a variety of career pathways. In the academy approach—with themes...

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LFA Updates

Grief, Courage, Shame, Pride and Responsibility

Parent and education advocate Nathan Monell, executive director of the National PTA, reflects on his emotions in the wake of one of the worst school shootings in history.

By Nathan Monell, Executive Director, National PTA GRIEF. My heart is heavy with GRIEF and anger over the all-too-common school shootings that cause families to experience unbearable loss and tear our communities apart. The recent shooting in our own PTSA school in Parkland, Fla. brought it close to home once...

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Parent-Teacher Home Visits Break Down Barriers, Shift Mindsets

New study reveals a promising strategy to address the implicit biases that can hinder student achievement.

I’ve long been a fan of the Parent-Teacher Home Visit Project and their model for home visits (see, for example, a post I wrote for Edutopia highlighting it back in 2015). This model, developed by parents and teachers, includes a structured opportunity for teachers to visit the families of students...

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Member Resources

Parent Guide on Education Data

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the federal law governing K–12 education, includes provisions to ensure states, school districts, and schools collect and publish data that helps parents, educators, and policymakers make decisions and take actions that lead to student achievement. The Data Quality Campaign, in partnership with the National...

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New Poll Reveals How Young Children Are Using Social Media and Messaging Apps

National PTA, in collaboration with Facebook through Lincoln Park Strategies, polled parents on the use of social media and messaging apps among young children. The findings show that the majority of parents with children under age 13 allow their children to use messaging apps and social media to stay in...

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