The Power of Parent Engagement in Education

“The evidence is clear: when parents, caregivers, and schools form a genuine partnership, the student benefits in every direction.”

A child’s education surpasses their time in the classroom. When students receive integrated care—a collaboration between parents, teachers, and communities—they have access to deepened social-emotional learning and academic success. Data indicates that when children are championed from every angle, they thrive; in education, research has shown that it takes a village. When families are engaged, children are more likely to attend school consistently, stay motivated, and perform better both socially and academically. 

The evidence is clear: when parents, caregivers, and schools form a genuine partnership, the student benefits in every direction. Cultivating these networks is an important current focus for districts, parent leaders, and school administrators. An EdWeek article underscores that any parent involvement in their child’s education (even if it just looks like at-home discussion about school) meaningfully contributes to student achievement and social-emotional outcomes.

Accessibility and Inclusion

Unfortunately, there are hurdles to parent participation and family-school collaboration. Schools already often struggle to meaningfully engage families in their children’s education, especially as students age past elementary and middle school. In May 2025, Chalkbeat reported that Family and Community Engagement’s (FACE) council elections for parent leaders have too often shown serious disorganization throughout districts. The bureaucracy and confusion disincentivize parent participation in elections and creates dysfunction and chaos when they do. The hiccups include ballot mismanagement and sustained technical difficulties, and current parent district leaders are pushing for radical change in how elections are run. Structural problems don’t just frustrate parents—they quietly erode trust. The difficulty of navigating these intricacies can prevent families from feeling empowered to meaningfully engage in their children’s education. 

Other barriers might include a lack of bilingual access, cultural inclusivity, and consideration for individual family and community needs.  With increased thought and care for each family’s unique circumstances, there are fewer hurdles to parent involvement, and the likelihood of participation increases. Without this access, even the most well-intentioned families can feel excluded or intimidated by school systems.

Attendance, Engagement, Achievement

Time and again, the data show that parent involvement in children’s education supports student success, especially when it comes to the current crisis of chronic absenteeism. A study published in the Journal of Educational Research states, “Results indicate that several family-school-community partnership practices predict an increase in daily attendance, a decrease in chronic absenteeism, or both.” These findings underscore how consistent collaboration between families, schools, and communities can create real, measurable improvements in student engagement and learning. When parents are actively engaged in their child’s education and teachers encourage appropriate involvement, the circle of support increases not only the student’s sense of motivation but also their academic performance. This connection builds a sense of belonging: students feel seen, supported, and accountable to both their family and school. 

Parent engagement doesn’t have to mean serving on councils, voting in elections, or participating in school events. It can look like showing up for their child’s education by having meaningful conversations about school, remaining curious, and keeping a dialogue open. Small, consistent gestures often carry more impact than formal roles or titles.

Schools must involve parents too, which can include phone calls home (when there is positive news as well as concern). Those calls build trust and show families that schools value partnership, not just discipline. Positive parent-teacher relationships support the entire community system of learning. When communication is two-way and affirming, students benefit from a sense of continuity between home and the classroom.

Beyond Amo Is Part of the Solution

In 2025, everything from homework to academic records and parent-school communication is almost entirely digitized. If parents struggle with tech literacy, they will have limited access to these components of their child’s education and are therefore excluded from full engagement. Technology can open doors, but it can also quietly close them for those without the right tools or knowledge.

Beyond Amo provides tech literacy programs for parents and families, so they can be active participants in their students’ academic and social-emotional success. Every family has a variety of needs—from language, to schedules, to economic status, to cultural practices—and an inclusive approach that meets families where they are is crucial. When schools and organizations recognize these differences, engagement transforms from a challenge into an opportunity for connection.

Beyond Barriers

Beyond Amo’s literacy programs and parent workshops support students, families, and schools. Their offerings do not exclude ESL or bilingual families, maintaining a joyful, compassionate, and inclusive environment that removes barriers and intimidation. This model shows what family engagement can look like when equity is central.

With post-pandemic literacy struggles, chronic absenteeism in New York City schools, and dysfunctional parent council elections, Beyond Amo’s work stretches beyond these hindrances to meaningful parent engagement in children’s education, and supports student resilience, capability, and love of learning in and outside the classroom. It reminds us that family engagement is not an extra—it’s essential to academic success and community strength.

Looking to build stronger family-school partnerships? Explore our parent workshops and engagement programs.