A publication of the Association of California School Administrators
Family engagement
Family engagement
Partnering with caregivers to support students and transform school systems
Partnering with caregivers to support students and transform school systems
November | December 2025
November | December 2025
When families thrive, students rise
By Dr. Nora Hourani-Farraj
To move from family participation to family engagement, we must reimagine our school culture. Chaffey Joint Union High School District has nurtured a family-school-community partnership model grounded in the belief that all families have the capacity to support their child’s development and that schools have a responsibility to build the capacity for partnership.
Fostering connections when it matters most
By Gabriela Alonso and David Marshall
When conflicts occur, families may feel confused and uncertain about where to seek help. In Riverside Unified School District, designated staff play an essential role in working with families to resolve issues at both the school and district levels. By embracing diverse communities, honoring families’ knowledge and culture, and promoting shared responsibility in decision-making, the district strives to ensure that all stakeholders have a voice in the resolution process.
Listening to Hispanic families’ needs
By Deborah Stein
Capitalizing on the reciprocal relationship between student achievement and family engagement, one elementary school took a holistic approach to tackling the challenges of both. Using the principles of cultural responsiveness, data-driven decisions, collaboration, and family engagement, staff worked with Hispanic parent leaders to combine best instructional practices with strategic family outreach.
More than a welcome mat
By Dr. Alice Lee
Family engagement is not a single event or a feel-good initiative. It is an equity strategy, an academic support, and a community connector. Ocean View School District recognized that family engagement needed to move from informative to transformative, so it adopted a guiding rubric, conducted site visits and shifted its communication strategy.
Cultivating collective voices
By Dr. Dwight Rogers
Fostering genuine, impactful parent involvement is a challenging endeavor for any district, but especially for large, diverse districts. Stockton Unified School District has developed a blueprint for transformative parent engagement that includes family engagement specialists, meaningful recognition of parent contributions and parent advisory committees that have empowered parents to become true leaders in the school system.
Student-centered communication
By Dr. Joseph Ochoa
Every interaction with the school community presents an opportunity to lead. A principal shares communication strategies — how to listen with intentionality, document accurately, engage with fluidity, and always prioritize students' needs.
‘Meet us where we are’
By Rachelle McClendon-Alexander
Community engagement is more than events; it is a shared act. That means redistributing leadership so that Black parents, students, and community members are not seen as recipients but co-educators of the learning. This reflection tells how one educator bridged theory and practice to work with families to support Black student achievement.
ADVERTISEMENT