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Family Engagement in Literacy: Why Some Parents “Ghost” Teachers: Ideas for Engaging Hard-to-Reach Families
By Laurie Elish-Piper
Document: Column
Introductory Paragraph: As the school year begins, teachers typically have multiple goals for their classroom, whether they are a new teacher or an experienced educator. Among those goals, there is usually one related to family engagement. The benefits of working in partnership with families positively supports students’ literacy learning, academic achievement, and attitudes toward school from early childhood through secondary school (Boonk et al., 2018; Castro et al., 2015; Hill & Tyson, 2009). However, all families do not connect with their children’s teachers and schooling. Families who are less likely to engage, such as those from lower income or marginalized groups, are not able to reap the benefits of family involvement for their children’s literacy and learning (Tan et al., 2019). While the value of family engagement is well documented, many experienced educators identify this as an area where they lack confidence or want additional support, especially with families who are difficult to reach (Antony-Newman, 2024). Research also indicates that teacher preparation programs do not explicitly prepare new teachers to work with families (Antony-Newman, 2024; Willemse et al., 2018), so early in their careers they lack specific strategies for connecting with all their students’ families in meaningful ways. Therefore, the focus of this column is how teachers can connect with families that are difficult to engage.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33600/IRCJ.52.4.2024.36
Page Numbers: 36-40
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