New Research On The Family Engagement Disconnect
District leaders overwhelmingly recognize the importance of strong communication and engagement with families, but new national research suggests families may experience those efforts differently than leaders realize.
Research from Project Tomorrow, conducted in collaboration with ClassDojo, found that while 80% of district leaders believe families are satisfied with school communication, only 56% of families report being satisfied. That’s a 24-percentage-point perception gap.
The findings are detailed in a new report, The Family Engagement Disconnect: How Districts Communicate vs. What Families Want and Need, which draws on survey data from more than 250 U.S. school district leaders specializing in communications, family engagement and academics, one-on-one interviews with 20 district leaders, and national family survey data from Project Tomorrow’s Speak Up Research Project.
“These findings present an important opportunity for school districts,” said Julie A. Evans, Ed.D., Chief Executive Officer of Project Tomorrow. “Reaching a family with a message does not necessarily mean that family feels informed, connected or engaged. District leaders can use these findings to look beyond reach and consider how communication can create more meaningful connections between families and educators.”
Families Want More Than Information
District leaders already recognize the importance of those connections. Eighty-eight percent say teacher-family communication is important to student success, including 74% who consider it very important.
The research provides additional insight into what families want from that communication: deeper, more individualized information from the educators who know their children best. Among families surveyed:
- 64% want to better understand how their child’s learning is measured beyond tests.
- 59% want greater insight into how instruction is personalized for their child.
- 54% want to understand the feedback their child receives and how it supports growth.
- 53% want to know more about what teachers understand about their child’s individual strengths and needs.
Project Tomorrow’s interviews reinforced the value families place on hearing directly from the educators closest to their children.
Alexandra Coppadge Wright, Chief of Communications and Customer Service for the School District of Philadelphia, described the issue from her perspective as a parent: “The two key points of contact that are important voices for me are my son’s teachers and my son’s principal… Anything else is kind of like noise.”
Moving From Communication To Engagement
The findings suggest district leaders and families share many of the same priorities for effective engagement: stronger relationships, greater trust, and meaningful dialogue between home and school.
When district leaders were asked what they value in digital communication tools, 51% pointed to facilitating two-way communication between parents and teachers, 48% cited developing stronger relationships with parents, and 42% identified giving parents opportunities to provide feedback to teachers.
The opportunity, according to the research, is to ensure the communication strategies and tools districts use make those kinds of connections easier for educators and families to build and sustain.
Creating A Simpler Communication Experience
The research also highlights an opportunity for districts to simplify the communication experience for families and educators. Districts report using an average of 2.3 communication platforms simultaneously, with 36% using three or more—not including additional apps or systems individual teachers may adopt on their own.
Ease of use was the most frequently identified priority when district leaders were asked what they would want from a new communication tool, cited by 55% of respondents.
“Districts don’t need another way to send families more messages. They need a better way to create connection,” said Dr. Chad A. Stevens, Head of Growth & Partnerships at ClassDojo. “By bringing classroom communication and districtwide messaging into one unified experience, districts can move beyond simply reaching families and build sustained engagement that strengthens school communities and supports students.”
Family Engagement Is A Student Success Strategy
The potential benefits extend well beyond communication. District leaders overwhelmingly connect stronger family engagement with outcomes at the center of their work. 81% believe improved family engagement can increase student academic performance, while 76% believe it can improve attendance and 76% say students behave better when parents are engaged in classroom activities.
Technology can also help districts address practical barriers to participation. 78% of district leaders agree that digital tools make it easier for teachers to maintain effective, ongoing communication with families. Language access is one important example: 52% of leaders identified the ability to adjust communication to a family’s preferred language as something they would want from a new communication tool.
Evans added, “Taken together, the findings give district leaders an opportunity to build on the family communication work already happening in their schools—looking beyond how many messages are sent or how many families are reached to consider how communication can become more individualized, two-way and easier for families and educators to navigate.”
To learn more about how ClassDojo for Districts helps school systems create a more connected, two-way communication experience for educators and families, visit ClassDojo.
