Strong family leadership develops in schools and districts when parents and families have a meaningful role in decision-making about issues that affect learning, such as curriculum, teaching, hiring, and budgeting. Family leadership is a type of family engagement – but unlike other types of family engagement that focus on parents supporting their own child’s learning, parent leaders focus on improving opportunities and outcomes for all children. Research shows that family leadership has many benefits for schools, students, families, and educators. But, it requires time, energy, skill, and thoughtfulness on the part of school districts and schools to lay the necessary foundations. This tool lists key conditions schools and districts should consider in order to provide the infrastructure, capacity-building, and relationships for meaningful and equitable family leadership. We recommend that teams of family members, educators, and administrators use this tool as a launching point for reflection and action.
