Members of school learning communities and researchers recognize that partnerships between families and schools are critical to the success of student learning (Epstein et al., 2018; Galindo & Sheldon, 2012). This qualitative descriptive multiple case study aimed to understand how five school superintendents from culturally and linguistically…

Family involvement has been shown to have positive effects on the academic and socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes of school-aged children across all age ranges, but most especially among elementary-aged students. The Family Involvement Questionnaire-Elementary (FIQ-E) has been validated for use with students in grades 1-6 across public and…

This dissertation explores the perceptions of elementary families in Washington, DC Public Schools and their perceived engagement with their elementary schools over the course of five years from 2018-2022 using an established family engagement quantitative survey tool called Panorama. This data will be analyzed for trends between both Title I and…

The unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic led teachers to innovatively shift their teaching methods. These pioneering practices inspired this study's "Elevated Family-Teacher Partnership" intervention which was designed to provide equitable guidance and communication for all families. This dissertation, in practice,…

This qualitative research study explored how families and the school system navigated distance learning during the pandemic, using technology to gain insights on factors of effective family-school relationships. In addition, the study examined the strategies used and lessons learned from the pandemic in adapting practices in school and home…

The COVID-19 global pandemic of 2020 created many difficulties for both families and schools. Drastic lifestyle changes had to be made, and many schools across the United States were closed indefinitely, with a rapid transition to "remote/virtual/distance learning." Latinx families, many from diverse backgrounds, were one of many special…

The education system is like a dialectical system that holds both hope and harm in its operations. However, at the same time, the realities of the educational system have historically and continue to bring great harm to BIPOC communities and have hindered them from flourishing from the ideals of what schools have the potential to bring…

How engaged families are in their children's lives, whether at home or in school, predicts child success in school and in life. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify activities, opportunities, and barriers to engaging families within Wayne County, Michigan for children and their families with and without Individualized Education…

With the large discrepancy between the undergraduate graduation rates of Hispanic students and students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds, it is both an equity issue and an economic imperative that higher education institutions focus on retaining Hispanic students. This qualitative phenomenological study seeks to understand the barriers and…

Family engagement is crucial to academic achievement. However, family engagement practices in schools are inequitable and do not reach Families of Color. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed both further inequities in education and an undoubtedly critical need to partner with all families for student success. This improvement science initiative was…

The recent global pandemic triggered by the spread of COVID-19 left the majority of school systems across the United States moving quickly toward remote learning and hybrid models of education. As school buildings closed, many K-12 school systems adopted a form of whole-school distance learning, leaving students to learn from home and families to…