1. Recognize and address the obstacles to family involvement
- Schedule meetings at times that are convenient to working parents
- Avoid using educational jargon
- Conduct home visits, to take the pressure off families to meet at school
2. Evaluate families' needs
- Survey families
- Solicit opinions
- Work with school and community resources to address identified needs
3. Address language barriers
- Translate parent education materials and school communications into families' first languages
- Have a resource person available who can translate spoken information to families
- Make use of interactive telephone systems with bilingual recordings
4. Reduce distrust
- Make it a habit to communicate with families regularly
- Avoid calling in parents only for problems
- Hold meetings in neutral settings, such as resource centers
5. Make an effort to reduce the burden on families by making conferences and meetings easy to attend
- Provide child care
- Offer transportation for those in need
- Serve refreshments
6. Make use of technology to link schools and homes
- Use voicemail to provide taped messages for students and their parents
- Make use of email to communicate with students and family members
7. Make use of a Compact for Reading
- Set literacy goals for children with their input and input from their families and school administrators
- Inform and involve parents in helping children achieve their set goals
- Review goals periodically with students and their parents to make sure they are realistic and attainable
8. Coordinate with librarians and other community support personnel
- Inform families of literacy efforts and events sponsored by the community
- Encourage families to take their children to the library
- Coordinate with local RIF programs
9. Appoint a class parent to serve as a home-school coordinator
- Work with the coordinator to involve hard-to-reach family members
- Plan parent education meetings and workshops
- Sponsor literacy-related events at school
10. Take advantage of training
- Contact the NEA (National Education Association) and/or the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) for information on training programs
- Enroll in adult education programs that feature such training
- Encourage administration to provide on-site training on family involvement
