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Transcript of the video: What we have today is an opportunity to reshape the conversation in our country about family and parent engagement. The reality is that we all have had the –- heard the rhetoric for some time about the importance of parent and family engagement. Many of you have been engaged in this work for many years, but what we recognize is that as a country we have failed to actually put together the systems and supports that allow us to actually achieve our goals for getting families and parents in their students’ academic lives and in our schools. And education –- public education, in particular, has paid the price for that, which means that our children have paid that price. -- James H. Shelton III, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education convened this forum on November 9, 2010 to provide an opportunity for stakeholders representing families, communities, federal agencies, government, philanthropy, practitioners at all levels of the educational system, and support organizations to develop a policy strategy that fosters systemic, integrated, and sustained family and community engagement that connects to student learning. Effective family and community engagement emphasizes shared responsibility and opportunities to support children’s learning from cradle to career in the home, school, and community. This forum will help inform new directions for policies and identify federal, state, and local strategies that can drive these opportunities.

Our panelists explored family and community research, showcased promising examples, and assessed opportunities to integrate and sustain family and community engagement across education reform priorities by addressing the following questions:

  • What does family and community engagement look like in a new era of education reform?
  • How can federal, state, and local stakeholders leverage existing and emerging legislation and programs to create systemic family engagement?
  • How can educators and other stakeholders use student performance data to connect families and schools in meaningful ways?
  • What are the opportunities for engaging families in transforming low-performing schools?
  • What ideas and strategies will we carry forward to build a national strategy for family, school, and community engagement?

Presentation Materials

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This policy forum is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education's Parental Information and Resource Center program. The content of this policy forum does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Education.