Social justice education is critical work that should be integrated into the teaching and learning in schools. Because this learning is not an isolated event, nor does it solely exist within the classroom walls, family engagement structures are of importance. Both social justice education and effective family engagement involve inclusive practices, collaboration, and critical dialogue. I am a middle school support teacher responsible for family communications and an educator with a deep commitment to both social justice education and family engagement. So, when a colleague began integrating social justice education into her sixth grade social studies curriculum and I noticed some of the students' caregivers reacting to the content in unexpected ways, I realized a potential opportunity that developed into the purpose of this practitioner inquiry study: to understand how I, a White cisgender female educator, could develop an informed understanding of critical factors to consider when engaging families in social justice education in a middle school setting. To answer my research question--What are critical factors to consider when developing social justice focused family engagement?--I observed my colleague's classroom, recorded field notes of my observations, conducted interviews with social justice scholars, disseminated a survey to students' caregivers, and reflected in my researcher journal. Through systematic and intentional data analysis processes, I identified five essential considerations for developing family engagement activities related to social justice content learned in school: know your purpose, know your students' families, communicate clearly, provide input, and prepare for controversy. These five considerations result in a social justice family engagement framework that connects and adds to the existing literature on social justice education and family engagement. In addition to my own professional practice and context, these considerations have implications for other educators who endeavor to engage families in conversations connected to social justice topics. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]