Improving school performance through family involvement: A grant project

Family involvement has been shown to benefit student academic achievement and overall school performance. However, families from economically-disadvantaged and culturally-diverse communities may experience challenges that may impact their participation in their child’s education. The purpose of this project was to design a school-based program to improve family involvement, identify potential funding sources, and to write a grant to establish a family involvement program in a charter high school. This program’s components included family outreach, family education classes, teacher development training, community partnerships, and a Family Resource Center. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project. Implications for social work practice are discussed