WestEd has just published a short “brief” on family engagement.

I’d say its list of suggestions is not very strong. However, I do think its analysis of dividing family engagement into three kinds is useful. They describe them as:

* Random efforts are offered in piecemeal,
without a systematic, intentional goal or design.
These efforts are typically organized around activities
that attract parents to the campus.

* compliance–driven activities are
broad in scope and aim to attract families to the campus,
but they also serve to meet the compliance demands
and responsibilities required by funding sources and by
state and local education agencies.

* Student–Centered family engagement, the third and
most effective category, is strategic, research–based,
and data–driven, demonstrating a deep understanding of
the community the school serves. Within this category,
the school’s efforts to engage families aim to focus on
individual students’ learning and performance needs.