Family Engagement in Education

The video features a discussion between Tali Horowitz and Gretchen Oshodife about family engagement in education. Gretchen shares her background and the founding of Co-Teach, emphasizing the importance of family support during the pandemic. The conversation covers challenges educators face in engaging families and offers strategies to overcome them, focusing on mindset, communication, and follow-up. The session concludes with practical tips for educators to enhance family engagement and the importance of teamwork between educators and families.

What motivated Gretchen Oshodife to start Co-Teach?

• Interest in educational technology

• A need for more educational resources

• Frustration from families during the pandemic

• A desire to improve classroom teaching methods

Why is family engagement considered essential in education?

• It simplifies the curriculum

• It helps teachers manage their workload

• It ensures all children's needs are met

• It reduces the need for parent-teacher meetings

How should teachers handle parents who prefer to stay in their own lane?

• Ignore their preferences

• Respect their choice and check back later

• Insist on their involvement

• Assign them specific tasks

What is the first key area for effective family engagement?

• Follow-up

• Communication

• Vision

• Mindset

What should teachers consider when setting a vision for family engagement?

• How they want communication to look, feel, and sound

• The number of students

• The curriculum requirements

• The school's budget

Why is follow-up considered crucial in family engagement?

• It ensures that communication is not one-way

• It helps in planning the next academic year

• It is a requirement by educational authorities

• It reduces the workload of teachers

What is a simple way to start engaging with families at the beginning of the year?

• Sending a weekly newsletter

• Organizing a large school event

• Making a quick introductory phone call

• Sending a detailed report card

How can teachers influence their colleagues to adopt family engagement practices?

• By forcing them to attend workshops

• By ignoring their reluctance

• By demonstrating positive results in their own classroom

• By reporting them to the administration

What is the role of teachers in changing the dynamics between school and family?

• To delegate the task to school counselors

• To focus solely on academic teaching

• To make the first move and demonstrate partnership

• To wait for parents to initiate contact

What is the ultimate goal of family engagement according to the session?

• To improve student grades

• To ensure collaborative support for children's success

• To increase school funding

• To reduce teacher workload