George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Family Engagement

Teachers, administrators, and other school personnel will find relevant and valuable tools and resources here for strengthening bonds between schools, families, and communities.

  • A More Engaging Back to School Night

    Intentionally fostering interactions among teachers, parents, and community partners helped one school create a more inviting event.
    Maurice J. Elias

  • How to Improve Distance Learning for Students With IEPs

    Strategies for parental involvement and synchronous and asynchronous activities can help students with individualized education programs.
    Kathryn Welby

  • Culturally Responsive Teaching in Early Childhood Education

    Four ways to validate and affirm young students’ cultures in meaningful ways, which can boost their engagement and motivation.
    Amanda Armstrong

  • Why Learning at Home Should Be More Self-Directed—and Less Structured

    On March 18, 2020, Simone Kern tweeted that simply “recreating schools at home” passes up a golden opportunity to engage kids in authentic, self-directed learning.
    Simone Kern

  • Learning to Measure the Size of a Problem

    When elementary students compare the relative importance of a range of problems, they learn to take charge of their reactions.

  • DIY Ways to Meet a Child's Sensory Needs at Home

    Occupational therapists and trauma-informed teachers weigh in on how to create sensory tools and spaces with what you have at home.
    Emelina Minero, Nora Fleming

  • 7 Tips for Managing Distance Learning in Preschool

    A preschool education director shares what her school is doing to keep kids’ screen time to a minimum while fostering play-based learning at home.
    Melanie Muskin

  • How to Support Home Learning in Elementary Grades

    A first and second grade teacher shares his home learning plan for his students and how he is engaging their families.
    John S. Thomas

  • 6 Ways to Transition IEP Goals to Remote Learning

    During the Covid-19 pandemic, meeting IEP goals can be a challenge. We offer ways to help.
    Kathryn Fishman-Weaver

  • Thank-You Letters to Teachers

    Keith Heggart

  • Responding Calmly to Upset Parents

    When an angry email shows up in the inbox, it can be tempting to respond in kind. These five tips from a middle school principal lead to better responses.
    Jessica Cabeen

  • 5 Home Learning Experiences for the Elementary Grades 

    Activities that incorporate speaking and listening, reading and writing, math, music, science, art, and drama—and are parent-friendly.
    Justine Bruyère

  • Lessons Learned During the Pandemic

    Teachers have worked fast to meet the demands of this moment, but as they get a chance to slow down and reflect, some lessons are clear—like the primacy of relationships.
    Katy Farber

  • How Teachers Can Support PBL at Home

    Tips and projects that teachers can share with parents and caregivers to guide children in any grade through project-based learning—with or without technology.
    John Larmer

  • 4 Tips for Principals From a Parent Who Knows the Job

    Transitioning from elementary school principal to room parent opened up a new perspective on what it means to lead a school.
    Don Vu