ENGAGING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES - Toolkit 4 - Community Engagement

Oct 22, 2026

Engaging Families and Communities Toolkit provides guidance and practical resources for current and aspiring school principals to strengthen leadership aligned with Utah’s Educational Leadership Strand 4: Community Engagement. It explains how effective principals build an approachable, accessible, and welcoming school climate, create collaborative relationships with families and community members, and leverage community resources to support student learning and school improvement. Evidence emphasizes principals’ influence on achievement and outlines how strong leadership can be essential in higher-challenge schools.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

Overview

Audience

Invite Family and Community Involvement

Build Public Trust and Create a Welcoming Environment

Establish Access and Contact Points for Stakeholders

Establish Reciprocal Partnerships

Understand Existing Contributions and Untapped Resources

Initiate and Sustain Collaborative Partnerships

ENGAGING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TOOLKIT Toolkit 4 in the Utah Educational Leadership Toolkit Series Prepared for Utah Leading through Effective, Actionable, and Dynamic (ULEAD) Education October 2019 In this toolkit, Hanover Research and ULEAD explore strategies and resources that current and aspiring school principals can utilize to meet the criteria outlined in Strand 4: Community Engagement of the Utah State Standards for Educational Leadership. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ................................................................................................ 3 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 3 OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................... 4 AUDIENCE ..................................................................................................................... 4 Invite Family and Community Involvement..........................................................5 BUILD PUBLIC TRUST AND CREATE A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT ........................................5 ESTABLISH ACCESS AND CONTACT POINTS FOR STAKEHOLDERS ........................................... 7 Establish Reciprocal Partnerships......................................................................... 17 UNDERSTAND EXISTING CONTRIBUTIONS AND UNTAPPED RESOURCES ................................. 17 INITIATE AND SUSTAIN COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS ....................................................... 19 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION This toolkit provides guidance and resources to support current and aspiring school principals in developing their personal capacity for leadership and meeting the criteria outlined in the Utah State Standards for Educational Leadership (located here) . Specifically, this toolkit is designed to develop current and aspiring principals' skills and knowledge related to Strand 4: Community Engagement. Utah's Educational Leadership Strand 4: Community Engagement Strand 1: Visionary Leadership |
Strand 2: |
Strand 3: |
Strand 4: |
Strand 5: |
Strand 6: | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Teaching and | Management | Community | Ethical | School | | Learning | for Learning | Engagement | Leadership | Improvement | Strand 7: Equity and Cultural Responsiveness Effective educational leaders engage families and the community in order to create an inclusive, caring, safe, and supportive school environment to promote each student's academic success and well-being. Standard 4.1: Demonstrate an approachable, accessible, and welcoming disposition to families and members of the community. Standard 4.2: Create and sustain positive, collaborative, and productive relationships with families and the community. Standard 4.3: Understand, value, and employ the community's resources to promote student learning and school improvement. Standard 4.4: Work to collaborate with families around items such as cultural perspectives and practices, transportation, work schedules, and language to ensure that all families can be fully engaged in the school community. Source: Utah State Board of Education 1 Research shows that—aside from teachers—school principals are the most influential schoolbased factor in promoting student achievement.2 Specifically, research finds that principals account for a quarter—on average—of their school's overall impacts on student achievement outcomes. Likewise, research observes that differences in student achievement up to 20 percentage points may occur when a school has an "above-average principal" rather than an"average principal."3 Effective principals are integral to their school's success.4 Research shows that effective principals positively impact the mission and vision of their schools and student and staff outcomes.5 In particular, effective principals are more likely

FAQs

What is the purpose of this toolkit for school principals?

It supports current and aspiring principals in developing leadership capacity and meeting Utah’s Educational Leadership Strand 4: Community Engagement criteria through strategies and resources.

What standards does Strand 4: Community Engagement include?

It focuses on being approachable, accessible, and welcoming; creating positive collaborative relationships; understanding and using community resources; and collaborating with families on cultural perspectives, transportation, work schedules, and language.

Why are school principals especially influential for student achievement?

Research cited in the toolkit states principals are among the most influential school-based factors and can account for a substantial share of a school’s impact on student achievement outcomes.

Oct 22, 2026

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