Glossary
Walking Alongside
Living in practice a philosophy and pedagogy of parent engagement, in which parent knowledge is used alongside teacher knowledge to inform the teaching and learning of children and adolescents.
Gentle Revolution
Consciously working to shift and change the landscape of schools to create greater place and voice for parents, in ways that show love, respect and care for parents and teachers. Familycentric Approach
Places families at the center; because teachers learn parents’ hopes and dreams for their children and for themselves, come to know parents and the knowledge they hold and employ, this approach promotes parent engagement both on and off the school landscape.
Schoolcentric Approach
Structured and defined for parents by schools; because the school’s agenda is central, this approach perpetuates parent involvement.
Parent Engagement
Parent engagement is a philosophy and a pedagogy, a way of understanding parent engagement that is perhaps unique in comparison to other definitions of the concept.
With the intent of creating meaningful and authentic connections between parents, teachers, and students, parent engagement centers the place and voice of parents in their children’s learning, at home and at school.
Historically, parents have been marginalized in relation to their children’s schooling, with the work of schools seen to be the domain of professional educators. Often unprepared for their work with parents, some teachers find parent relationships to be one of the most difficult parts of their job. Enhancing parent and teacher beliefs and practices of “walking alongside” enables everyone to feel heard, valued, and engaged in a transformative education process.
Parent
In speaking about language and the conceptualizations behind why we use the language we do, let’s define the word “parent” as we use it. While much of the field has moved away from the term “parent engagement” and to the term “family engagement,”we continue to talk about parents, as well as families, and here’s why. We never talk about schools without talking about teachers. We never talk about schools without talking about principals … or educational assistants … or custodians. Why? Because each role is distinct and important. The same is true in a family. There are roles that are distinct and important - and thus worthy of naming. To parent, a verb, means to play a primarily caregiving role in a family, assuming responsibilities for such things as income, housing, and food security; assuming responsibilities for wholistic nurturing and direction; assuming responsibilities for family decision-making and leadership. When the school contacts a family, say to have a child’s absence excused or to meet about an educational or behavioral matter, it is the parent with whom the educator wants to speak. So, rather than rejecting the word parent for fear that it is too reductive or exclusive, let’s reclaim the word and redefine it according to the parameters of who fulfills the role of a parent and what it means to be a parent. Let’s make it known that a parent is not solely someone who is biologically a parent but, rather, it is anyone who parents. A parent IS an auntie or uncle, a grandma or grandpa, a kohkum or moshom, a nanny or caregiver, the partner of a parent, a stepparent … or ANYONE who “parents” a child.
Engagement
While the term “parent involvement” is sometimes used synonymously with parent engagement, we believe the terms represent very different conceptualizations. With the term engagement, the implication is that the person ‘engaged’ is an integral and essential part of a process, brought into the act because of care and commitment. By extension, engagement implies enabling parents to take their place alongside educators in the schooling of their children, fitting together their knowledge of children, of teaching and learning, with teachers’ knowledge. With parent engagement, possibilities are created for the structure of schooling to be flattened, power and authority to be shared by educators and parents, and the agenda being served to be mutually determined and mutually beneficial. As someone engaged in the process of schooling, a parent may sometimes find him/herself walking alongside others, sometimes following the lead of others, sometimes taking the lead position.
Parent Engagement Vs Parental Engagement
Another term that is sometimes used in the place of parent engagement is “parental engagement.” While the two terms may seem synonymous, we see a critical difference. In the term parent engagement, the word parent remains a noun. The parent remains central and centered in the conceptualization. In contrast, with the use of the word “parental,” the word parent loses its noun status and, thus, becomes secondary, a peripheral description of that which is centered. When we use the term parental engagement, “parental,” no longer a noun, becomes a descriptor of engagement, a type of engagement. When we use the term parent engagement, the parent is centered and present, a key agent, rather than holding a subordinate role to the engagement.
School Landscape
The metaphor of the school landscape was originally put forth by Clandinin and Connelly in 1995 to step away from the language of “school culture” that is commonly used in writing and thinking about schools. Because the word culture is used pervasively in so many disciplines, they felt people came to the word with deeply embedded, predetermined, and perhaps unquestioned understandings.
What Clandinin and Connelly were drawn to is that, when considered in the context of schools, “a landscape metaphor . . . has a sense of expansiveness and the possibility of being filled with diverse people, things, and events in different relationships.” This landscape of relations makes it, then, as stated by Clandinin and Connelly, “both an intellectual and moral landscape.”
In this 21st century, with the particular challenges facing the planet, it is more critical than ever that the school landscape is shaped, in moral, ethical, relational, and intellectual ways, to re/centre lives and lived experiences, to more equitably honour and embrace diverse ways of interpreting the world, and multiple understandings and interpretations of learning, living, and relating.
Beliefs and Assumptions
Welcoming parents onto a school landscape ideally begins with a conversation among all staff in a school. “What do we believe about the place and voice of parents in our school? How can we see our beliefs being lived out? Is there a match between what we say we believe and the practices we have in place? What unconscious or implicit assumptions may be at play in our practices?”
Making beliefs and assumptions visible and explicit can be a process filled with risk and vulnerability, conflicting views and discomfort. While difficult, it is this discomfort that signals the change and growth critical to creating a new story of school. Time, support, thoughtful planning and collegial processes all make these conversations productive and rewarding. Talking about beliefs and assumptions becomes, over time, the core of and the starting place for every school discussion.
This story of school is often taken for granted, left unquestioned, and it gets lived out in repetitive cycles of meet the teacher nights, parent teacher conferences, reporting processes, volunteer activities, holiday celebrations and so on. It is not until something or someone interrupts this story that beliefs and assumptions are rendered visible and open to re-examination.
Taken-for-Grantedness
Along with every school landscape comes a taken-for-grantedness. In the broadest sense, schools often operate under a taken-for-granted hierarchical structure that places educators and policymakers at the top and marginalizes parents' place and voice in the teaching and learning of their children. It is the way it is simply because it’s the way it’s always been done, not necessarily because it’s the best or even the desired approach.
Taken-for-grantedness presents itself in many ways, such as with the signage you may encounter when you step into the school: “Visitors please report to the office,” “Staff only parking,” “No food or drinks in the gym,” etc. These signs have always been there, so no one questions them, but what purpose do they really serve? While they may be undetectable to those who are used to them, to a newcomer they may say, “This is not your place; you are not welcome.”
To question what is taken for granted is to consider what messages you are sending and what messages you want to send. From parent-teacher conferences to Christmas concerts, what if we asked ourselves, “Why are we doing these things? Are they important? What purpose do they serve? Might there be a better way to realize our intention?” With a mindful eye, it’s easy to uncover countless taken-for-granted practices and procedures across the school landscape.
Dwelling In
This is more of a verb than anything else. It describes the act of spending time in communities with families to truly know them, hear their stories, and learn their perspectives. I believe this act to be of immense importance. The process is extremely powerful, and the impact is invaluable in building trust and relationships. When we know families and communities in deep ways, we can bring that knowledge onto the school landscape to shape our policies, practices, and curriculum making in honoring and responsive ways.