How Can Schools Support Parents' Engagement in Their Children's Learning? Evidence from Research and Practice

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) commissioned a team from the University of Plymouth and the University of Exeter to conduct: (1) a review of the best available evidence about what schools can do to improve children's learning and attainment via parent engagement, and (2) supplementary research to understand schools' current practices and perceptions of parental engagement. Given the focus of the EEF on closing the attainment gap there was particular interest in how best to support parents from more disadvantaged backgrounds. The review summarises the best available international research evidence on parent engagement and presents actionable recommendations for practice that could be incorporated in EEF guidance. The study has two main parts. The first of these, an evidence review, aims to synthesise the best current international evidence on parental engagement in children's learning. The second part of the study, which involved the survey of schools and interviews with school leaders, sought to identify what schools in England are doing currently to support parental engagement. This element is designed to help understand how far schools are currently prioritising parental engagement, what types of approaches they adopt, how they target their efforts, and how far practice matches the best available evidence as shown in the evidence review. The intention was to identify areas where there is potential for shifting practice towards more evidence-based approaches, and to inform possible resources that could be developed to support schools. [For the related guidance report, "Working with Parents to Support Children's Learning. Guidance Report," see ED612191.]