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Build Highly Engaged Family, Community, and Business Partnerships

Students succeed when families, schools, businesses, and philanthropic and community leaders work together as an engaged alliance.

Almost every person can recall a teacher, coach, or counselor who made a positive and lasting impact on their life. Maybe that person offered stability and support during a difficult time or helped transform their lives with encouragement and guidance.

Providing every child with memorable learning experiences is a shared responsibility, and it is essential to ensure students excel, families feel heard, and communities actively benefit from a strong public school education.

When children leave the school building, their opportunities to learn, grow, and experience new things should continue. Whether reading a book with a parent, practicing a new skill with an after-school program lead, participating in an internship or externship with a local business, or experimenting with a new technology, learning should not be confined to the classroom.

This will look different for every district, since every American community is unique in its current and future needs. A comparative advantage of public education is the inherent community-minded focus. Each school is inherently a product of, and a tribute to, its local community. School leaders, school board members, parents, business leaders, community leaders, and other community partners should collectively form a vision and a plan to prepare children for their best chance of success after high school.

When families are engaged as true partners, students are more likely to achieve higher academic success, attend school consistently, and develop essential life skills.

Collaboration with families helps foster trust, create open lines of communication, and establish a shared commitment to student success. Parents know their children better than anyone and bring unique insights into their strengths and needs, enabling teachers to make better-informed decisions that benefit the entire community. Engaged families are more prepared to support their children鈥檚 learning at home, advocate for their needs, and connect schools to additional community resources.

When communities are active partners, they function as an expansion of the classroom, and students have the opportunity to road-test their newfound skills and build confidence through exposure to new experiences.

This is essential to improving student achievement, as well as for strengthening the overall community that benefits from student, family, and school engagement. Schools that consistently and meaningfully involve local businesses, afterschool and summer leaders, and community establishments create stronger, more connected communities. In turn, partnerships ultimately help districts navigate challenges, enhance student success, and build long-lasting support for their schools.