Integrating Family Engagement Into Teacher Preparation
Integrating family engagement into teacher preparation helps ensure that future educators are prepared to work in partnership with families to support student learning and well-being. The CAEP Family Engagement Course provides candidates with strategies to build trust, foster effective communication, and establish collaborative relationships with families and caregivers.
Each course includes:
- Interactive research-based content
- Reflection prompts to deepen understanding
- Knowledge checks to reinforce learning
- Skill-based assessments for practical application
- Resources for continued professional growth
The free, self-paced CAEP Family Engagement Course is available at https://caep.learnupon.com/catalog
A supplemental Faculty Resource Guide is also available to support faculty and Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs) with integrating the modules into teacher preparation programs. The guide includes module overviews, content highlights, assessment descriptions, and adaptable implementation strategies for incorporating the material into coursework.
Download the CAEP Family Engagement Faculty Resource Guide
Aligning the Modules to CAEP, InTASC, and NAFSCE
The CAEP Family Engagement Course aligns with national standards and professional competencies, ensuring that knowledge, skills and dispositions needed for effective family engagement are embedded within teacher preparation. To support this alignment, CAEP has developed a Family Engagement Crosswalk of the CAEP standards, the InTASC Standards and Progressions, and the NAFSCE Professional Competencies. This crosswalk can be used by EPPs, as needed, for example, to identify where family engagement concepts are addressed in existing coursework, integrate the CAEP Family Engagement Course content into program curriculum, or as a resource to guide conversations with faculty and stakeholders on further strengthening candidates preparation to effectively partner with families.
Download the CAEP Family Engagement Crosswalk
Family Engagement Overview: Literature Review
In developing the CAEP Family Engagement Course, research was conducted to establish a clear definition of family engagement, examine its impact on student learning, and explore its role in teacher preparation. The literature review highlights the positive outcomes of strong educator and family partnerships, including the importance of preparing teacher candidates with knowledge and strategies to work effectively with families. The Family Engagement Overview provides a summary of this research and includes additional resources for strengthening family engagement.
Download the CAEP Family Engagement Overview
7 Elements of Effective Parent-Teacher Communication
Strong communication skills are essential for building trust and collaboration between educators and families. These skills are embedded throughout the CAEP Family Engagement Course, particularly in the Communications Basics and Strategies for Family Engagement module.
The 7 Elements of Effective Parent-Teacher Communication (Walker, J. & Dotger, B., 2012, pp. 62-75) were used as a foundation in the development of the CAEP Family Engagement Course providing a research-based framework for implementing effective communication strategies with families.
Faculty implementing the CAEP Family Engagement Course can use these elements as a guide for instruction, observation and feedback to support teacher candidates in developing and applying communication strategies that foster effective family engagement.
The reference document below includes a summary of the 7 Elements, along with candidate trends and tips for faculty to integrate the elements into coursework.
Download the CAEP Family Engagement and the 7 Elements of Effective Parent-Teacher Communication.