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.