Overview
This brief reviews what is known currently about parent councils in the United States—both in their implementation and impact—in order to provide parents, educators, and family engagement practitioners with guidance on building better parent councils. Here, we focus on parent councils in education rather than other fields such as healthcare. The term ‘parents’ refers to the adults that play a caregiving role in the lives of children, including biological parents, foster or adoptive parents, stepparents, grandparents, and other family members or community members who are primary guardians for children.
Key Takeaways for Policymakers:
- Clearly define the role of parent councils: The sponsoring organizations must co-design a shared understanding of the council’s purpose among all stakeholders, including parents, educators, and administrators. Clearly outlining the council’s responsibilities and decision-making authority will lead to more engaged and satisfied members.
- Nurture a culture of inclusive family engagement: Principals, school administrators, and family-facing practitioners should shift from a top-down leadership model to a collaborative approach that empowers families across different domains of school operations, which include parent advisory councils, among others. Providing professional development on consensus-building and shared decision-making can help school leaders support parent councils more effectively.
- Provide training and resources for council members: Many parents and practitioners may not be familiar with–or comfortable with educational policies, shared governance structures, or group decision-making processes. Organizations and schools should offer training sessions on relevant topics and provide accessible, jargon-free resources to ensure parents and practitioners can make informed contributions.
- Ensure transparent and ongoing communication: Regular communication is essential for member success. The convening schedule should be consistent, include structured agendas and shared meeting summaries, and utilize multiple communication channels (e.g., newsletters, social media, email) to keep parents engaged.
- Encourage Broad Representation: Parent councils benefit from having broad representation and different perspectives. All families from a community should have a fair opportunity to participate in a parent council. Organizations and school districts can achieve this by ensuring they communicate through multiple channels and remove barriers to families by planning for childcare costs, making information accessible, and reimbursing participants for travel or time.
- Develop shared vision, goals and actionable outcomes: Parent councils should set a clear shared vision and develop attainable goals that address key school and community issues, such as improving parent-teacher communication or advocating for student support programs. Tracking progress and celebrating successes will help sustain engagement.
- Regularly evaluate and adapt: Organizations and schools should assess parent council effectiveness through surveys and feedback sessions identifying areas for improvement, and making necessary adjustments to enhance participation and impact. A dedicated family engagement coordinator can assist with these tasks. As seen in the health sector, a coordinator can be instrumental in ensuring that recruitment, communication, meetings, and evaluation activities are implemented with intentionality and inclusivity.
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