Parental engagement plays a critical role in a child’s educational success and well-being. Research consistently shows that when parents, teachers, and school leaders work together, students perform better academically, develop stronger social skills, and exhibit greater emotional resilience. Despite its importance, it is not always easy to implement it effectively, and approaches vary widely across Europe.

A recent study conducted by Parents International, led by Eszter Salamon, examines the current landscape of parenting support in Europe, revealing sense-making practices, challenges, and opportunities in fostering strong parent-school partnerships. The findings highlight the need for inclusive, accessible parental engagement programmes that empower parents and strengthen family-school collaboration.

The situation in Europe

The way parental engagement and parenting support are structured varies significantly across different European countries. Some nations have state-funded programs that provide structured parenting resources, while others rely more heavily on community organizations and grassroots initiatives. The research identifies key themes that influence the effectiveness of parental engagement initiatives.

One of the most significant factors affecting parental engagement is accessibility. While many families benefit from available resources, others face barriers such as language difficulties, lack of time, or limited awareness of support options. Some parents express a need for more flexible and tailored support systems that reflect their individual circumstances.

Another critical factor is the evolving role of schools in parental engagement. Schools are increasingly recognized as key facilitators of parenting support, but teachers and school leaders often feel ill-equipped to guide parents effectively. The study suggests that stronger communication channels and professional development programs for educators could significantly enhance parental engagement strategies.

The Impact of Parental Engagement on Education

A well-established body of research confirms that parental engagement directly influences children’s academic success and social development. Students whose parents take an active role in their education tend to:

• Achieve higher grades and test scores
• Develop better social and emotional skills
• Show greater motivation and engagement in learning
• Experience fewer behavioural issues in school

Parental engagement is not only about assisting with homework. It encompasses a broader collaboration between families and schools, where mutual trust, communication, and shared decision-making contribute to a child’s overall development. Schools that actively foster parental engagement create more inclusive and supportive learning environments that benefit all students.

Despite these advantages, many parents struggle to engage with their child’s school due to work commitments, cultural differences, or a lack of confidence in their ability to contribute. Addressing these challenges requires a proactive approach from educators and policymakers.

Strategies for Strengthening Parental Engagement

The research highlights several key strategies that can help foster stronger parental engagement and create more effective support systems:

1. Developing Accessible Support Programs
   • Parenting resources should be easy to access and available in multiple languages.
   • Support networks should consider the diverse needs of families, ensuring that resources reach all communities, including those in disadvantaged areas.
2. Enhancing Communication Between Schools and Families
   • Schools should establish clear and regular communication channels with parents.
   • Parent-teacher meetings should focus not only on academic performance but also on well-being, social skills, and emotional support.
3. Empowering Parents as Co-Educators
   • Schools should provide workshops and training to help parents understand their role in their child’s education.
   • Parents should be encouraged to participate in school activities, decision-making processes, and curriculum discussions.
4. Strengthening School Policies on Parental Involvement
   • Governments and school leaders should implement policies that promote sustained parental engagement.
   • Schools should develop frameworks for ongoing evaluation and improvement of parental engagement strategies.

The Role of Parents International and the Participate Project

At Parents International, we believe that empowering parents through parental engagement is essential to improving educational outcomes. Through initiatives like the Participate Project, we work towards inclusive, research-based policies that enhance family-school partnerships.

The recent research publication, authored by Eszter Salamon, (available here) provides valuable insights into how parenting support can be improved across Europe. By fostering collaboration between parents, educators, and policymakers, we can ensure that every child receives the support they need to thrive academically and personally.

Conclusion: A Call for Stronger Parental Engagement

Strengthening parental engagement requires ongoing commitment from schools, policymakers, and families. Investing in effective family-school partnerships will help create a more inclusive, supportive, and successful education system for all students.

🔗 Read the full research findings here: https://parentsinternational.org/parenting-support-in-europe-research-published/

Devaney, C., Christiansen, Ø., Holzer, J., MacDonald, M., Matias, M., Piessens, A. & Salamon, E. (2021). The conceptualisation and delivery of family support in Europe: A review of academic literature. EurofamNet.

You can find the report in the ParentHelp Library here.

After the Pandemic: change needed ever more

Parents International has been part of the Education Policy Reform Dialogues organised by OECD since 2018. After a longer break, representatives of OECD Member governments and key stakeholders have met again for a 2-day discussion on 22-23 November 2021 in Ghent, Belgium. As countries focus on recovering from a profound global crisis and building a better normal, it was the right moment to imagine a future in which education systems can adapt more nimbly to uncertain times – and to dare to make it a reality.

The event provided a forum in which senior policy makers can come together with their international peers and OECD experts to shape a clearer vision of a responsive and resilient future for education, and identify smart strategies that will bring it to life. Parents Intenational was represented by its Director, Eszter Salamon.

Change in actionThe Framework for Responsiveness and Resilience in Education Policy

The event coincided with the launch of the Education Policy Outlook’s Framework for Responsiveness and
Resilience in Education Policy. Building on analysis of international evidence and examples collected across OECD and non-OECD countries, this framework offers an integrated vision of how existing and emerging policy efforts can come together to underpin education systems’ capacity to thrive in ever-changing local and global contexts. It has the ultimate aim of nurturing education systems that bring together resilient learners, resilient broader learning environments and resilient systems.

We were happy to see that throught this review of evidence even the OECD started to promote the importance of engaging parents. The numbers presented clearly show that parents are already deeply involved in the education of their children. Now it is time to engage them in desiging and implementing change.

This and the next edition of the Education Policy Reform Dialogues (EPRD) are also aiming at supporting countries’ preparations for the upcoming EDPC Ministerial Meeting, to take place in December 2022, which will look into the topics of: Resilience, Equity and Lifelong Learning. Therefore, adopting the framework as key substantive background, the EPRD 2021 will explore the ways in which policy makers can create the conditions to nurture resilient learners through an education which focuses on the whole child and adopts a whole-of-society approach, brought to life by empowered, multi-dimensional professionals.

While encouraging ambitious thinking, discussions will be grounded in the political economy of reform, taking into account participants’ realities at a critical moment of recovery and recalibration following a period of prolonged global crisis.

Where do we go from here?

In the interactive event, participants discussed the following questions presenting inspiring practice and looking into what national education policy should focus on:

• Which education policy successes, from the pandemic period and before, should education systems retain and strengthen beyond 2021?
• How can policy makers best approach their systems’ purpose, people and processes to create the conditions for change to take hold?
• What practical steps should education systems now prioritise as catalysts for change, based on international evidence?

We were invited to inspire by appraoches that work, so – among others – we presented the municipal education council model from Hungary and the Parent’R’Us coaching and mentoring approach to ensure all parents are engaged.

Further reading

Are passionate about education, parental engagement, and children rights? These articles might inspire you:

Parents – inspiring protagonists of cyberbullying prevention

Sharing, Caring, Daring: 3 powerful ideas for the 2024 ICP World Convention

Engaging Migrant and Refugee Parents: highlights from “Open Arms, Open Hearts”

Take action

Would you like to take your skills to the next level? Whether your are a parent, a professional educator or a school leader, we’ve got you covered. Check out IPA’s Training Offer and find the course that suits you!

The Finnish education system is a role model for many countries. Still, they think it is often too teacher-centred, and there is a lot more to do for parent-teacher partnerships. Our award-winning Parent’R’Us model was the basis of a workshop we were invited to hold at the Helsinki Education Week on 4 November 2021. It was delivered in English, so it was not only open to Finnish educators (teachers, school leaders, parents, etc.). Unfortunately, the organisers decided to hold the event online, but we have agreed to follow up in person.

The topic at hand was creating strong and equal partnerships between parents and schools through parental engagement. We invited teachers, school heads and parents to join this virtual workshop organized by the Education Division of the City of Helsinki and Parents International and explore the Parent’R’Us project.

Agenda of the workshop:

• Opening and introduction
• Discussion on parent rights
• A short introduction to the theoretical background behind the Parent’R’Us project – understanding parental engagement
• The participants’ experiences
• Presentation of the Parent’R’Us model
• Q&A and closing

The workshop was very interactive and well received by participants. The Education Division of the City of Helsinki and Parents International have agreed to actively collaborate in the future to support implementation.

Parents International has organised three face-to-face pilots of the ParENTrepreneurs Training to ensure that the programme we developed in the project consortium works in different contexts. As other partners have only been able to pilot online, this was crucial for the project’s success. The pilots took place in October and the beginning of November in Hungary, the Netherlands (this training was the only one foreseen) and Spain.

ParENTrepreneurs – Netherlands

The ParENTrepreneurs pilot in the Netherlands was the first complete in-person pilot of the training. The pilot had been postponed in order to be delivered according to the application. The application had also contemplated an international pilot in advance of national pilots but in some cases this had not been possible owing to the covid related delays.. The pilot was delivered implementing the training manual. The training was delivered in English to a group of parents from various backgrounds and nationalities, with children enrolled in kindergarten or school in the country.

The training was offered on three consecutive Saturdays between the middle and the end of October with two modules delivered each day. Since there was much more interest and demand beyond the available 20 places, a second training is planned after the international training, in the Spring or early Summer 2022. Childcare and activities for children were offered alongside the training.

The 20 people enrolled in the pilot participated in all activities and filled the evaluation forms for each module separately. Overall, we can say that the training was very well received, the parents found it very useful, enjoyable and appropriate to cater for their needs.

ParENTrepreneurs – Hungary

The ParENTrepreneurs pilot in Hungary was an extra pilot of the training in an effort to have f2f pilots in at least 3 country contexts. The pilot was delivered and completed following the training manual. It was delivered in Hungarian, but using the English training materials to a group of parents who are all active parent leaders at different levels. It was held over the long weekend at the end of October and 1 November 2021 with two modules delivered each day.

Childcare and activities for children were offered alongside the training. The 9 people enrolled in the pilot participated in all activities and filled the evaluation at the end of the training for the whole experience. Overall, we can say that the training was very well received, the parents found it very useful, enjoyable and appropriate to cater for their needs. Linguistic barriers using the English training material were present, but addressed fairly easily.

ParENTrepreneurs – Spain

The ParENTrepreneurs pilot in Spain, Catalonia was an extra pilot of the training in an effort to have f2f pilots in at least 3 country contexts. The pilot was implemented and followed the training manual completely. The pilot was delivered in Spanish to a group of parents who are all active parent leaders at different levels, but the evaluation was done in English. The training was held over the long weekend at the end of October and 1 November 2021 with two modules delivered each day.

Childcare and activities for children were provided alongside the training. The 8 people enrolled in the pilot participated in all activities and completedthe evaluation forms for the training as a whole once. Overall, we can say that the training was very well received, the parents found it very useful, enjoyable and appropriate to their needs.

The ParENTreperenurs trainings have proven to be relevant and interesting for parents with different cultural and national backgrounds, different age groups and also for parents of younger and older children alike. Most of the topics are easy-to-link to everyday parenting challenges. Being entrepreneurial in everyday life is a relatively unique concept for parents in this country context. Most of the topics are easy-to-link to everyday parenting challenges. The training was given a very good evaluation by participants with only a few recommendations for refining it.