Chapter 15: Transforming Learning and Student Outcomes Requires Co-Construction with Families

In a society where institutions, including public education systems, reinforce a continued sense of urgency, prioritize quantity over quality, and uphold power structures, superficial and transactional relationships among school staff and with families become the norm. What is the remedy to this situation? Intentionally and systematically making time to build trust, learn from one another, and collaborate.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced all individuals and institutions to stop and re-assess values, priorities, context, and increase self-awareness about our satisfaction levels with our jobs and relationships in our lives. When it comes to education, anecdotally it is reported that educators and parents express much more appreciation for each other's roles in children's education. Given the significant learning losses, especially for underserved student subgroups, many institutions have prioritized family engagement and equity in their work plans. The current situation has produced fertile ground to plant seeds of trust, a precondition for collaboration, more specifically referred to in this chapter as co-construction.