Evidence suggests that the activities performed by parents and schools combine in complex ways and are affected by the strength of the relationship partnership between family and school. Furthermore, the greater the consistency and continuity in support for learning that the child experiences between the parent and the school the greater the likelihood that student achievement will be improved.
The first two sections of the paper investigate the fundamental questions of “what is parent engagement” and “why does parent engagement matter”. Based on the evidence to these questions the next two sections look at what parents and schools can do to promote and practice parent engagement at each developmental stage of the child’s learning journey.
Beyond the impact of home and school there is the importance of program and policy responses to parent engagement requirements. Policy levers are an important way to legitimise and regulate parent engagement so that it has a positive effect on student outcomes.
The final section of the paper considers the strategic connection of parent engagement within the Government’s four pillars approach to education and the importance of making sure that the pillars support each other as well as their own areas of influence.