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