Books & Research
Research Worth Knowing
Research that challenges assumptions, deepens understanding, and offers insights for strengthening family and community engagement practice.
Select any card to see the full summary.
The Engagement AdvantageLearning Heroes + TNTP | Family-School Partnerships and Student OutcomesDetails
This mixed-methods study examines the relationship between family-school partnerships and student outcomes. Its first stage found that schools with stronger pre-pandemic family engagement experienced significantly lower chronic absenteeism and higher post-pandemic academic performance, while the second stage identified leadership practices, mindsets, and communication strategies present in schools with particularly strong partnerships.
Why it matters
Family engagement belongs within the core work of school improvement. The findings strengthen the case for investing in trusting partnerships and the leadership practices and systems that help those partnerships grow.
Learning Heroes & TNTP. (2026). The Engagement Advantage: Findings from a Mixed-Methods Study of Family-School Partnerships.
Read the research: Learning Heroes →The Value of Hard WorkGerardo R. López | Immigrant & Migrant Family EngagementDetails
López expands traditional definitions of family involvement by showing how an immigrant family supported education through work, expectations, sacrifice, and lessons about the value of schooling. His research reminds educators to look beyond school-defined activities and recognize the many ways families already contribute to their children's learning and aspirations.
Why it matters
Before deciding how to engage families, we need to understand and value how families already engage.
López, G. R. (2001). The Value of Hard Work: Lessons on Parent Involvement from an (Im)migrant Household. Harvard Educational Review, 71(3), 416–437.
Read the research: ERIC →Building Relationships, Bridging Cultures: Cultural Brokering in Family EngagementKathryn Torres, Nathanie Lee, Christine Tran & Ann M. Ishimaru | University of WashingtonDetails
This research brief explores the role of cultural brokers who build bridges between families and schools, particularly across differences in culture, language, and institutional experience. The researchers identify three promising strategies: parent capacity building, culturally specific relationship building, and systemic capacity building.
Why it matters
Strong engagement requires more than access. It requires relationships and people who can help schools and families navigate differences, build trust, and learn from one another.
Torres, K., Lee, N., Tran, C., & Ishimaru, A. M. (2015). Building Relationships, Bridging Cultures: Cultural Brokering in Family Engagement. Equitable Parent-School Collaboration Project, College of Education, University of Washington.
Read the research: University of Washington publication →Data Inquiry for Equitable CollaborationDawn Williams, Jennifer Benner & Ann M. Ishimaru | University of WashingtonDetails
This research brief examines how families, educators, and community partners can participate together in making sense of data rather than leaving interpretation solely to professionals. Using Neighborhood House's Data Carousel as a case, it illustrates how shared inquiry can position families as knowledge holders and participants in identifying priorities and shaping action.
Why it matters
Collecting family feedback is only the beginning. Shared inquiry creates opportunities for families to help interpret what the data mean and influence what happens next.
Williams, D., Benner, J., & Ishimaru, A. M. (2015). Data Inquiry for Equitable Collaboration: The Case of Neighborhood House’s Data Carousel. Equitable Parent-School Collaboration Project, College of Education, University of Washington.
Read the research: University of Washington tools and research →Unlocking the “How”: Designing Family Engagement Strategies That Lead to School SuccessLearning Heroes | Written by Dr. Eyal BergmanDetails
Drawing on six years of research with parents and educators, the Dual Capacity-Building Framework, and examples from schools and districts, this report moves the conversation from whether family engagement matters to how leaders design it well. It emphasizes trust and teamwork, connection to student learning and well-being, and the systems and structures needed to sustain effective practice.
Why it matters
Good intentions do not create systemic engagement on their own. Leaders need an intentional strategy that connects relationships, practice, learning, and organizational design.
Bergman, E. (2022). Unlocking the “How”: Designing Family Engagement Strategies That Lead to School Success. Learning Heroes.
Read the research: Full report →