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5 Essentials for Engaging Families and Community Partners in Decision Making

As schools plan for the year ahead, they can kick off the engagement process with families caregivers, and community members using these five key steps.

Decades of research show that when schools partner with families and caregivers, students benefit—academically and otherwise. It’s a lesson the COVID-19 pandemic only reinforced, during a time when schools faced unprecedented challenges: It takes an entire community to ensure that every child has the support they need to be successful.

As systems and schools develop strategies for helping students recover from the pandemic and accelerate forward in the years ahead, engaging families, caregivers, and a wide range of community organizations as full partners should be a top priority. This guide outlines five key steps for kicking off the engagement process, as well as things to consider once you start crafting a comprehensive community education support plan.

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Imali Ariyarathne, seventh-grade teacher at Langston Hughes Academy, stands in front of her students while introducing them to the captivating world of science

Imali Ariyarathne, seventh-grade teacher at Langston Hughes Academy, introduces her students to the captivating world of science.

About TNTP

TNTP is the nation’s leading research, policy, and consulting organization dedicated to transforming America’s public education system, so that every generation thrives.

Today, we work side-by-side with educators, system leaders, and communities across 39 states and over 6,000 districts nationwide to reach ambitious goals for student success.

Yet the possibilities we imagine push far beyond the walls of school and the education field alone. We are catalyzing a movement across sectors to create multiple pathways for young people to achieve academic, economic, and social mobility.

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