Teachers and school leaders recognize the importance of active parental engagement for promoting their children’s academics, attendance, and emotional and behavioral issues, but there remains uncertainty on how best to develop stronger relationships between parents and teachers. In a 2022 meta-analysis, Smith and colleagues explored the impact of family-school engagement interventions on parent-teacher relationships.
Smith and colleagues examined 23 studies for the effect of family-school engagement interventions on parent-teacher relationships and the characteristics of these relationships, the broader effects of these interventions, and the ways that child and community characteristics (such as race/ethnicity, age, or community type) affected the impact of these interventions. They found a small but statistically significant impact of family-school engagement interventions on parent-teacher relationships (ES = +0.23) and parent-teacher communication (ES = +0.34). These effects were stronger in the families of students with externalizing concerns (including behavioral disorders, conduct disorders, or ADHD) and for those in rural areas. The impact of these interventions did not differ by child age or race/ethnicity, suggesting that parent-teacher relationship development was not dependent on these factors.
These results highlight the benefits of family engagement interventions in improving understanding and communication between parents and teachers, especially for students with behavioral issues or those in rural areas.
Source: Smith, T. E., Holmes, S. R., Romero, M. E., & Sheridan, S. M. (2022). Evaluating the effects of family–school engagement interventions on parent–teacher relationships: A meta-analysis. School Mental Health, 14(2), 278–293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-022-09510-9