National Standards for Family-School Partnerships

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Notes from the Backpack Podcast


Successful Family-School Partnerships

PTA’s process for building successful partnerships starts with the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships and consists of three steps:

  • Raising awareness about the power of family and community involvement.
  • Taking action to cultivate involvement through specific programs and practices.
  • Celebrating success as your school sees increased involvement and its impact. 

National Standards Puzzle Piece Image

Standard 1: Welcoming All Families into the School Community

Bus Stop IconFamilies are active participants in the life of the school, and feel welcomed, valued, and connected to each other, to school staff, and to what students are learning and doing in class.

Take the Standard 1 Assessment.

Standard 2: Communicating Effectively

Bus Stop IconFamilies and school staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful communication about student learning.

Take the Standard 2 Assessment.

Standard 3: Supporting Student Success

Bus Stop IconFamilies and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at school, and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively.

Take the Standard 3 Assessment.

Standard 4: Speaking Up for Every Child

Bus Stop IconFamilies are empowered to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.

Take the Standard 4 Assessment.

Standard 5: Sharing Power

Bus Stop IconFamilies and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs.

Take the Standard 5 Assessment.

Standard 6: Collaborating with Community

Bus Stop IconFamilies and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families, and staff to expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation.

Take the Standard 6 Assessment.


National Standards Implementation Guide

The benefits of family-school-community partnerships are many: higher teacher morale, more parent involvement, and greater student success are only a few. That is why PTA developed the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships Implementation Guide, a tool for empowering people to work together with an end goal of building family-school partnerships and student success.

For each of the six National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, this online guide provides:

  • An explanation of each standard and its importance
  • Insights to help convince educators of the standard’s value
  • A success story from a school community
  • Action steps for your school community
  • Resources to enhance your understanding

The full guide, downloadable as a PDF, provides additional details, background, research, and success stories.

National Standards Implementation Guide

National Standards Implementation Guide

Who should use this guide?

Anyone with a stake in improving schools and student achievement can use this tool: PTA leaders, parents, school administrators, school board members, community organizations, and more.

How to use this guide

This guide can assist organizers with implementing programs and policies that encourage these family-school partnerships. Used with the supporting resources, it can help organizers educate their communities about the importance of family involvement and direct the development of effective partnerships. These materials are best used after the formation of an action team focused on promoting family involvement. This team can include parents, other caregivers and family members, school staff, community members, and even students.


Additional Information and Resources