More than a welcome mat

Family engagement is not a single event or a feel-good initiative. It is an equity strategy, an academic support, and a community connector. In Ocean View School District, we recognized that our approach to engaging families needed to move from informative to transformative. We began with two things in mind: Adults love the children they are raising and want to do whatever they can to help their child succeed. As a district, we are responsible for effectively equipping our families to truly support student learning.

Beginning in the fall of 2023, Ocean View embarked on a districtwide effort to embed family engagement within the academic core, starting with site leadership and culminating in classroom and campus-wide practices.

A shared vision and guiding rubric Our journey began with education at the leadership level. Ocean View partnered with Ron Mirr, co-founder of the Center for Active Family Engagement (CAFÉ) and a senior consultant at RM Consulting, where he leads national efforts to design, assess, and implement research‑based parent and family engagement strategies in schools. With focused work and collaboration, the district created an internal research-based family engagement rubric on a progressive continuum, from compliance to partnership in just one year. Every school in Ocean View reviewed the rubric to assess its current practices and identify growth areas. There was a laser focus on the goals our district was already pursuing, strategically implemented in a way that led to a breakthrough in family participation and learning. This streamlined focus of the work was reflected in the alignment of key initiatives: the Local Control and Accountability Plan, Single Plan for Student Achievement, staff contributions, School Site Council collaboration, and PTA/PTSO input. These collective efforts culminated in family engagement events that reinforced family cohesion and deepened support for student achievement.

Site audits and shopper calls Ron Mirr facilitated two intensive professional development days for school leaders. The first session focused on awareness, education, and developing collective areas for growth. The second session was action research dedicated to “Family-Friendliness Audits.” Teams of administrators and teachers (to create multiple perspectives and shared ownership) physically visited school sites to evaluate signage and visitor procedures, and placed “shopper calls” in multiple languages to assess phone etiquette and clarity around enrollment as a potential new family to the district.

These exercises surfaced real-time barriers families faced, such as unclear directions for enrollment or unwelcoming signage, which inspired immediate action. Principals returned to their campuses with a renewed lens and a list of improvements to implement within 30 days. Additionally, the teams used the visits to calibrate and create an Ocean View specific rubric to use in the 2025-26 school year.

Shifting communication from operational to instructional One of our biggest mindset shifts was examining how we communicate with families. Too often, school-to-home communication centered on logistics: schedule changes, parking updates, and behavior policies. But we asked: How are we helping families support learning at home?

As a result, many sites began sending home “family tip sheets” connected to current grade-level writing goals, a direct link to our districtwide academic focus. Others revised their newsletters to include conversation starters aligned to reading units or math strategies. A few even used QR codes linked to teacher-recorded videos modeling instructional routines.

Showcasing our work: Family events reimagined One of the largest breakthroughs was reimagining traditional parent nights, which evolved into more purposeful engagements. For example, our Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten Information Nights were more than just sit-and-get events with culminating school tours. Families were welcomed into classrooms, met with current teachers, and learned how Ocean View’s early education programs build foundational literacy and social-emotional skills through an active learning experience. Parents left not just with enrollment forms, but with tools to support readiness at home.

Similarly, middle school information events and tours were redesigned to foster genuine dialogue, with principals emphasizing academic programs and instructional philosophy over logistics. Our goal was not just to inform, but to invite families into their children’s instructional journey.

Connecting engagement to equity and access Ocean View’s work with family engagement reaffirmed that authentic interactions with our families begin with equity, thoughtful review of family engagement patterns, and action. By examining the families the district was connecting with and those that we weren’t, engagement efforts were realigned to be more inclusive, from offering multilingual events to adjusting outreach times. Our leadership team played a pivotal role, with principals modeling family engagement as a lever for academic success. The most impactful growth occurred when parent education events were hands-on, and data led directly to improvements in practice. Most importantly, when families are given the tools, access, and respect they deserve, they show up not just as supporters, but as powerful partners in student learning.

References Mapp, K.L. & Kuttner, P.J. (2013). Partners in Education: A Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family–School Partnerships. U.S. Department of Education.

Henderson, A.T., & Mapp, K.L. (2002). A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.

Ron Mirr Consulting. (2025). Family Engagement Professional Learning Materials and Rubrics.

Alice Lee, Ed.D., is assistant superintendent of Educational Services in Ocean View School District.