Literacy Today March/April 2019

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In ILA’s biannual What’s Hot in Literacy survey,

we defined family engagement as “working

with families to promote and support children’s

literacy development, including planning and

hosting purposeful events that provide families

with literacy strategies they can use at home to

support their children’s learning.” A whopping

79% of respondents rated this practice as very or

extremely important—and with good reason.

We have decades of research that tells us

why family engagement is critical to the success

of the child. When schools work in tandem with

families, everyone benefits. Teachers and students

see improved outcomes, and parents develop

more trust in those responsible for their child’s

education.

By our own definition, educators bear the

responsibility of engaging families, who in turn

bear the responsibility of working with and

supporting their young learners. But what if we

looked at family engagement from a different

angle? What if we placed some emphasis on

empowering students themselves to lead the

charge?

This is not unlike the practice of student-led

conferences, which allow even the youngest of

learners to present their portfolios directly to their

families. Creating opportunities for students to

take true ownership of their work and asking them

to drive the discussion about their performance

and progress not only demonstrates their

command of the topic, but also shows how much

you value their voice. There’s real power in that.

Successful student-led conferences begin

with implementing strong teacher supports.

Well-defined parameters, clear expectations,

and explicit modeling are all key to achieving the

desired results. When students take over, teachers

step back accordingly, but remain available in

Let Students Lead the Way

ILA UPDATE

case help is requested. Less visibility doesn’t equal

absence.

It’s the same with student-driven family

engagement strategies. Even the oldest learners

will need to understand your framework and what

you expect of them.

Take, for example, read-alouds. Our recent

brief, The Power and Promise of Read-Alouds and

Independent Reading, looks at the importance of

those instructional practices in the school setting.

It reviews the benefits of teacher-led read-alouds,

which include, among others, being one way for

educators to demonstrate how much they value

reading.

This is also why so many family engagement

initiatives focus on parents, guardians, and other

caregivers setting aside regular time to read aloud

to children of all ages. Beyond yielding academic

benefits, reading role models outside of school

impact significantly how children feel about the

act of reading.

When we flip the scenario and task students

with reading aloud to their families, we’re casting

them as reading role models, too. In an age when

traditional family involvement may not be possible,

because of language barriers, work, or other

factors, student-led engagement is a valid (and

valuable) solution. It allows you to meet the needs

of the family in their home environment on their

unique schedule.

This kind of personalization extends to what is

read as well. If we want children to enjoy reading,

we must empower them to select their own

reading materials. It’s on us to give them access to

a wide selection of relevant books and materials

reflecting their culture, community, and personal

identity. For students who do not have multiple

sources of reading materials—or, in some cases,

any—this is most essential.

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literacyworldwide.org | March/April 2019 | LITERACY TODAY

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