Point Person: Our Q&A with Harvard's Heather Weiss (The Dallas Morning News, 7/30/10)

July 30, 2010

William McKenzie, an opinion columnist at The Dallas Morning News, interviewed Harvard Family Research Project Director and Founder Heather Weiss about what family engagement looks like in school districts with successful family engagement strategies.

Successful elements include having strong leadership from principals and superintendents, making schools a welcoming place for parents, tailoring family engagement offerings to families’ needs, reviewing with families data about their child’s and school’s performance, and working with families on their child’s needs.

Excerpt from the article:

Educators often wish that parents were more engaged with their child's education. But what does that mean, really? PTA meetings? Parent–teacher nights? Bake sales? Heather Weiss, director of Harvard University's Family Research Project, says parents and schools need to think far beyond those old approaches. They help—but research shows that schools and parents need to think of engagement as starting early in a child's academic life and remaining constant through high school.

Educators often wish that parents were more engaged with their child's education. But what does that mean, really? PTA meetings? Parent–teacher nights? Bake sales? Heather Weiss, director of Harvard University's Family Research Project, says parents and schools need to think far beyond those old approaches. They help—but research shows that schools and parents need to think of engagement as starting early in a child's academic life and remaining constant through high school.

Read “Point Person: Our Q&A with Harvard's Heather Weiss” on The Dallas Morning News’ website.