Collaboration and Parent Engagement

I recently came across a quote by Dylan Williams: “We are preparing students for a world we cannot even imagine.” That is going to be a pretty tough thing to do and it will require a lot of change on the part of the education system to prepare our children for the future. In order to make a successful change to how our children are educated requires the involvement, support and knowledge of all those affected by this change. Educators and support stuff often collaborate to support positive change whether it is in the classroom, the school or throughout the district. But how much are parents and families actively involved in that collaboration?  A successful personalized learning environment will requires the support of all adults, not just the educators. Quantum physicist David Bohm was quoted as saying “The goal is to create a conversation that helps people think together.” Is that not what collaboration is?  Collaboration provides many opportunities for deep and thoughtful conversation and when people collaborate and work together better decisions are made. So we would like to know how your school is involving parents and families in the collaboration process. Are you working to actively engage families in the conversations and decisions being made be it in the classroom, the school or within the district? What does it look like? What are the barriers you are facing? What successes have you seen?