The benefits of parental engagement in their children’s learning are huge. Review of best practice in parental engagement presents the evidence succinctly and sets out guidelines on how to make it happen. It is particularly aimed at schools, but practitioners who are interested in family learning and family literacy in museums, libraries and other cultural and heritage organisations will also find it helpful. This is a very useful summary.
Another new report identifies a further reason for developing parental engagement. The influence of parents, places and poverty on educational attitudes and aspirations, finds a clear alignment between what parents say they want for their children and what young people aspire to themselves, suggesting that to raise aspirations it is important to work with parents as well as young people, particularly where parents face disadvantages themselves. The report is well worth reading for its other findings too.
There are still some places available on a training course on family learning I am giving in London on 17 November, for people working in libraries, museums, galleries, archives and other cultural settings.
The photo shows parental engagement in action, in a family workshop I gave in Enfield.
