8 Ways to Increase Parent Involvement in Your Schools

Home | District & School Leaders | Trending Topics for Districts

How can schools increase parent involvement? The most effective approach is to make family engagement easy, meaningful, and consistent. Schools can increase parent participation by communicating regularly, asking families for feedback, creating flexible ways to get involved, and making parents feel that their time and input are valued.

Parent involvement plays an important role in building strong school communities. But getting families involved can be challenging. Parents and caregivers have busy schedules, different communication preferences, and varying levels of time they can dedicate to school activities.

The goal isn’t to get every family to volunteer at every event. It’s to create multiple opportunities for families to stay informed, share their input, connect with their school, and support their children.

Here are eight practical parent engagement strategies schools and districts can use throughout the school year.

1. Ask Families What They Need

One of the best ways to increase parent involvement is to ask families what would make it easier for them to participate. A short survey can help schools understand family interests, schedules, communication preferences, and barriers to participation.

Consider asking:

• What types of school events interest your family?
• What are the best days and times for school activities?
• How would you prefer to receive school communications?
• Would you like opportunities to volunteer or participate from home?
• What could our school do to make family involvement easier?

Family feedback gives schools a clearer picture of what their community needs and helps leaders create opportunities that families are more likely to use.

2. Make Families Feel Welcome and Needed

Parents may be less likely to participate when they aren’t sure whether their presence is actually needed. When inviting families to an event, volunteer opportunity, or school activity, clearly explain why their involvement matters.

Instead of simply saying, “We need volunteers,” explain what their help will accomplish. For example, tell families how volunteers will support students, make an event possible, or help teachers.

It’s also important to recognize that parent involvement looks different for every family. Some parents can volunteer during the school day. Others may be able to attend an evening event, provide feedback online, or help from home.

The more ways families can participate, the more opportunities schools have to increase parent engagement.

3. Communicate With Families Regularly

Strong school-family communication shouldn’t only happen when a school needs volunteers, donations, or completed forms. Regular communication helps families stay connected to what is happening at school and builds trust over time.

Share a mix of useful and engaging information, including:

• Upcoming events and important dates
• Student accomplishments
• Classroom activities and projects
• School and district news
• Helpful resources for families
• Reminders about deadlines and school requirements

A consistent newsletter, email, school website, or family communication platform can help families know where to find important information.

4. Use Social Media to Connect With Families

Social media can complement formal school communications by giving families a more personal look at what is happening in classrooms and across the school community.

Schools can use social media to share:

• Teacher and staff spotlights
• Student accomplishments
• Classroom activities
• Event reminders
• Behind-the-scenes school moments
• Helpful information for parents and caregivers

Recurring content can also give families a reason to check in regularly. A weekly teacher spotlight, classroom feature, or school update can help families feel more connected to the people and activities at their school.

Schools should also have clear guidelines for responding to comments and messages. Make space for questions and constructive feedback while addressing inappropriate comments consistently.

5. Ask for Feedback After School Events

One of the simplest ways to improve parent participation is to ask families what they thought about an event after it happens.

A short feedback survey can help schools understand what worked, what didn’t, and what families would like to see in the future.

Ask questions such as:

• What did you enjoy most about the event?
• Was the date and time convenient?
• What could we improve?
• What types of events would you like to see next?
• Would you participate in a similar event again?

Most importantly, use the feedback. When families see that their suggestions lead to changes, they are more likely to continue sharing their opinions and participating in future activities.

6. Offer Family Events That Don’t Require Volunteering

Parent involvement doesn’t have to mean volunteering. Schools can increase family engagement by creating opportunities for parents and caregivers to connect with school staff without requiring them to take on a volunteer role.

Consider hosting:

• Meet-and-greets with school leaders
• Family information nights
• Coffee with the principal or superintendent
• Open houses
• Parent education events
• Family activities

These events give families an opportunity to meet school leaders, ask questions, learn more about their school, and build relationships outside of traditional volunteer activities.

7. Share Helpful Resources With Parents

Families appreciate school communications that provide useful information, not just announcements. Sharing helpful resources is an easy way to support parents and caregivers while strengthening the connection between home and school.

Schools can share resources about topics such as:

• Supporting learning at home
• Talking with children about current events
• Preparing for a new school year
• Helping children develop healthy routines
• Managing common school-year challenges

You don’t have to create every resource yourself. When you find a trustworthy article, checklist, activity, or other resource that could help families, share it through your regular communication channels.

For example, TeacherLists has resources on talking to kids about current events and getting ready for back-to-school.

8. Make School Supply Lists Easy to Find

Back-to-school preparation is one of the most important times for schools to provide clear, useful information to families. Making school supply lists easy to find can remove one more source of confusion for parents and caregivers.

Instead of making families search through multiple emails, websites, or social media posts, give them one easy place to find their child’s school supply list.

TeacherLists helps schools and districts share digital school supply lists so families can quickly find the right list and shop for the supplies their children need.

Clear communication around everyday school needs is one more way schools can make the family experience easier.

How Can Schools Improve Family Engagement?

Schools can improve family engagement by making communication consistent, offering flexible ways to participate, listening to family feedback, and creating opportunities for parents to connect with school staff.

The most important thing is to make involvement feel accessible. Not every parent can attend a daytime event or volunteer every week. Offering different ways to participate allows more families to find an option that works for them.

Why Is Parent Involvement Important in Schools?

Parent involvement helps schools build stronger relationships with families and create a more connected school community. When families have clear opportunities to communicate, participate, and provide feedback, schools can better understand the needs of their communities.

Family engagement also helps parents stay informed about what is happening at school and gives them more opportunities to support their children.

What Are Examples of Parent Involvement in Schools?

Parent involvement can take many forms. Examples include attending school events, volunteering, responding to surveys, participating in parent organizations, communicating with teachers, attending family information nights, providing feedback, and supporting learning at home.

Schools should offer a variety of opportunities so families can participate in ways that fit their schedules, interests, and availability.

Build Stronger School-Family Connections

Increasing parent involvement doesn’t require one major initiative. It starts with small, consistent efforts to make families feel informed, welcome, and valued.

Ask families what they need. Communicate with them regularly. Create different ways to participate. Share useful resources. And make important information, such as school supply lists, easy to find.

When schools make family engagement easier and more meaningful, they create stronger connections with the communities they serve.

Looking for an easier way to share school supply lists? Learn how TeacherLists helps schools and districts share supply lists with families.

Share This