Emily Ferry, Family Engagement Manager
A few summers ago, a friend of ours was a baker at the Saltry restaurant in Halibut Cove. Her cheesecakes were beautiful. Until one day, when she sliced into one and it cut a little funny. She tasted it; she had left out the sugar.
Family Engagement is like the sugar to our schools; it’s a key ingredient. Decades of studies confirm that partnership with parents enriches our schools in positive ways, academically and socially.
One of our favorite studies looked at 100 schools in Chicago that had improved and 100 that did not, over a seven-year period. Schools that had all five ingredients—good leadership, quality teachers, a good climate, quality curriculum AND family engagement— were four times more likely to improve than if they were missing any one of those ingredients.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of teachers and school staff weren’t offered courses in family partnership before they started their jobs. And according to the 2025 School Climate and Connectedness Survey results, a third of teachers reported they didn’t receive any training on family-school partnerships from their school last year.
AASB’s Alaska Family Engagement Center is working to remedy that by making it easier for educators to access the training and tools to help educators confidently partner with families. Check out our full menu of training opportunities for staff.
We know that families need support, too. So we are offering an online series tailored for parents and caregivers who want to know how to help their children thrive in school, manage strong emotions, stay safe online, support their mental health, and prepare for life after high school.
Check out the trainings yourself and be sure to share these opportunities with staff and families.
