By Donna Thayer

At my first conference in the fall, Mrs. Smith proudly shared that Jack, who is one of my second graders, has been able to read the Harry Potter books since kindergarten. I had to explain to this rightfully proud mom that while Jack has fantastic word recognition skills, he still struggles with comprehension and is unable to answer questions like ‘Why is Harry able to do magic?’ because he has little to no understanding of what he just read. In my 22 years of teaching, I have seen firsthand that parents want to be their child’s champions and support system and simply need the proper tools to do so. When parents understand that true reading includes decoding, fluency, and comprehension, they have better insight into how their child is actually doing.

Fall parent-teacher conferences are my first significant investment into the family engagement connection. It’s a time to share stories, build trust, and connect about their child’s success. This then leads to my outlining specific ways parents like Mrs. Smith can work with their child to build their literacy skills. While it is my first job to teach my second graders, including Jack, to read, I know that by bringing parents into my world as an educator, I can work together with them toward a positive outcome. Mrs. Smith left our meeting still proud of her son but much more aware of where he was as a reader and what she needed to do next to help him.

Research supports the connection between family engagement and student success. When focusing specifically on literacy, studies show that when families elevate reading at home as both a fun and important skill, students come to elementary school with a positive attitude toward reading. In addition, they usually have higher level literacy skills than students who come from homes where reading is valued less. At my school, we give parents just one piece of homework: read at home with your children for 20 minutes at night.

While a connection between family engagement and a positive reading experience for their children is a great starting point, it is not enough. Strategies based on the science of reading are crucial to a child’s reading success and parents should know what these are and how to use them at home. By adopting a three-pronged approach, districts in Massachusetts can set every family up for success in ensuring their child can read.

First, districts should have easily available guidelines for families to access for each grade level. These can include materials such as  “What do specific reading skills look like in grade X?”,  “How can you support the development and growth of each of these skills at home?” and “When is it time for concern and what should the parent/caregiver’s next steps be?” By sharing this website with Mrs. Smith, I was able to start her on her journey helping Jack with his comprehension.

Second, teachers like me should disseminate this information at the initial beginning-of-year fall conferences along with recommendations as to where the student is at that point and specific recommendations for a parent starting point. There should  be both formal and informal check-ins with families as students progress. Mrs. Smith and I continued to check in periodically during the year to make sure Jack was on track in building up his reading comprehension.

Finally, districts should hold school-wide or grade-level family events with a focus on reading with a combination of teacher-led workshops to demonstrate literacy instruction, and workshops offered by parents who have found success with this model. This would empower families to invest in and become more engaged with their child’s school.

When Mrs. Smith returned in the spring for her final parent-teacher conference of the year she clearly felt that Jack had grown. He now could tell her why Harry acquired magic. She spoke confidently about the growth she had seen in her child’s reading comprehension. She was even more determined to help him, now armed with the tools I had given her on this literacy journey. All parents in Massachusetts need the same.

Donna Thayer is a 2nd grade teacher at Mason-Rice Elementary School in Newton Centre and a 2024-2025 Teach Plus Massachusetts Policy Fellow.<