Decades of research shows that family engagement matters for student success, with students whose families are engaged more likely to attend school, avoid discipline problems, achieve at higher levels, and graduate. Research also suggests that family engagement is equally as important as school leadership or a rigorous curriculum in predicting school improvement.

At 7 p.m. on Nov. 17, NSBA will partner with National PTA and other national education organizations to celebrate National Parent Involvement Day in a virtual town hall with National PTA President Anna King, NSBA Executive Director and CEO Dr. John Heim, and other education leaders. Town hall participants will discuss the importance of parental involvement in schools and how PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships can enhance efforts to help children and communities thrive.

First released in 1998, the National PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships have transformed family engagement across the country for over 20 years. The standards give schools and PTAs guidance on how to improve family-school partnerships and set the bar for best practices in six key tenets: 1) Welcome All Families; 2) Communicate Effectively; 3) Support Student Success; 4) Speak Up For Every Child; 5) Share Power; and 6) Collaborate With The Community.

The updated standards include these same six tenets, with impactful changes that contain an increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; expand the approach to student success to include whole child development; and more clearly define roles for PTA leaders and school leaders.

The National Standards for Family-School Partnerships are designed for multiple audiences, but especially:

  • School board members—who can set the vision and imagine what effective family-school partnerships should look like in their communities;
  • State education agencies and district officials—who can create policies and practices that bring the standards to life in schools;
  • Principals—who can set expectations and disseminate tools, templates, and resources to support educators in fostering meaningful relationships with families;
  • Educators—who can build bridges between children’s home lives and school lives to connect families to school life and embrace the skills and experiences students’ home lives produce.
  • Parent leaders—who can use the standards to collaborate and advocate for change to push the community for the impactful implementation of the standards.

The complete list of standards, including indicators that describe specific actions that schools and PTAs can take to achieve the goal, are available at www.pta.org/standards.

Register to watch the town hall at https://forms.gle/Jv6FxDvRneHnWiwx8 or watch live on National PTA’s Facebook page, Twitter, and YouTube accounts.

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