Family Engagement in Education Required at the Highest Level

BY RON ROBERTSON

The current local and national health crisis gives clear evidence of a demand for family engagement and commitment in the educational learning process for children.  Today's circumstance is unprecedented and requires, without fail, front-line family engagement in the academic education of their children.  This crisis points to the highest level of necessity for families' expedient hands-on preparedness to stimulate their child's continued successful educational performance. Unfortunately, Pre-K - 12 education today is being relegated to homeschooling. How children progress in their educational experiences is now totally required in the confines of their homes.  This gives enormous new meaning and importance for parent-teacher collaboration, and communication, thus mandating a solemn commitment to the ideal Ready Home/ Ready School philosophy as an absolute reality, not an option. No longer can Family Engagement in a School’s readiness plan be compromised. Schools must mobilize to focus on non-traditional effective parent involvement strategies to aggressively create horizontal alignments with a child’s home. Educators must provide for the child’s academic needs at their home by involving their parent(s). This gives greater and permanent meaning to the importance of family engagement. Current situational evidence validates that parents are the most long-lasting and necessary educational pipeline for their children. The community-at-large is to be compelled to encourage parents in their children's education at home as well as collaboratively with educators in future school settings. Parents, Schools, and Community are key partners and allies in the life performance of our children.  Being actively engaged in this educational alignment is indisputably today’s needed best practice.