The document outlines 6 standards for effective family-school partnerships as part of a dual capacity framework. The standards are: 1) welcoming all families and building an inclusive school community, 2) communicating effectively through multiple channels, 3) supporting student success through parent-teacher communication and engagement, 4) empowering families to advocate for their children's success, 5) strengthening the family voice in shared decision making, 6) connecting the school with community resources to support families and students.

1. Dual Capacity
Framework for
Family-School
Partnerships

3. Standard 1 Welcoming All Families
Create a climate that welcomes all families
• Develop personal relationships
• Create a family friendly atmosphere
• Provide opportunities for volunteering
Build a respectful inclusive school
community
• Respect all families
• Remove economic obstacles to participation
• Ensure accessible programming

4. Standard 2 Communicating Effectively
Share information between school and
families
• Use multiple communication paths
• Survey families to identify issues and concerns
• Have access to the principal
• Provide information on current issues
• Facilitate connections among families

5. Standard 3 Supporting Student Success
Share information about student progress
• Ensure parent-teacher communication
• Link student work to academic standards
• Use standardized test results to increase achivement
• Share school progress
Support learning by engaging families
• Engage families in classroom learning
• Develop family ability to strengthen learning at home
• Promote after-school learning

6. Standard 4 Speaking Up for Every Child
Understanding how the school system works
• Understand how the school and district operate
• Understand rights and responsibilities under federal and state
laws
• Learn about resources
• Resolve problems and conflicts
Empowering families to support their own
and other children’s success in school
• Develop families’ capacity to be effective advocates
• Plan for the future
• Smooth transitions
• Engage in civic advocacy for student achievement

7. Standard 5 Shared Power
Strengthening the family voice in shared
decision making
• Have a voice in all decisions that affect children
• Address equity issues
• Develop parent leadership
Building family social and political
connections
• Connect families to local officials
• Develop an effective parent involvement organization that
represents all families

8. Standard 6 Collaborating with the
Community
Connecting the school with community
resources
• Partner with community groups to strengthen families and
support student success
• Organize support from community partners
• Turn the school into a hub of community life
• Link to community resources

9. Sherri Wilson
National PTA
swilson@pta.org
@swilson