AERR: Parent and caregiver engagement

Priority 3: Enhance Public Education Through Effective Engagement
Goal 1: Parent and Caregiver Engagement
Outcome: Student learning is supported and enhanced by providing meaningful opportunities for parents and caregivers to be involved in their child's education

Alberta Education's Assurance Domain: Governance
Provincial Outcome: Alberta's K-12 education system is well-governed and managed

Annual Education Results Report 2023-24  ǀ AERR Overview

Performance Measures

  • 78% of parents and teachers are satisfied with parental involvement in decisions about their child's education.
  • 83% of families are satisfied with the opportunity to be involved in decisions at their child’s school.
  • 81% of families agree there is open and honest communication within their child’s school.
  • 86% of families agree the school keeps them informed about their child’s progress and achievement.
  • 70% of families agree the Division’s committed to engaging families in matters that affect public education.
  • 95% of families, staff, Grade 12 students and community members are confident EIPS provides meaningful opportunities for families to be involved in their child’s education.

Additional Information:
AERR: Engagement (see pg. 74-78)
EIPS Engagement: Active
EIPS Assurance Framework and Cycle

Results

According to the 2023-24 Alberta Education Assurance (AEA) survey data, 78% of EIPS families and teachers are satisfied with the Division’s parental involvement—which aligns with the 2022-23 result and up from 77% in 2021-22. The result also aligns nicely with the 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey. In total, 83% of families indicate being satisfied with the opportunity to be involved in decisions at their child’s school—up by 1% from the year previous and 9% from 2021-22. Another 94% of families, staff and students are confident EIPS provides meaningful opportunities for parents and caregivers to be involved in their child’s education—rising by close to 5% from the previous year and almost 10% in 2021-22.

Other feedback includes 81% of families reporting open and honest communication within their child’s school. Another 86% of families feel EIPS schools keep families informed about their child’s progress and achievement. Collectively, these results infer EIPS families are content with their school involvement and communication.

That said, more can be done, especially in the area of engagement. The 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey revealed only 70% of respondents were satisfied with the Division’s commitment to engaging families in matters that affect public education, and only 68% were satisfied with the Division’s commitment to ongoing advocacy for public education. The percentages are fairly consistent year over year, since the pandemic. So, the Division plans to develop strategies to improve in these two areas going forward.

Opportunities For Growth

The Division is pleased with the opportunities it provides relative to building capacity and engaging families in their child’s learning. That said, there is room for improvement. As such, parent and caregiver engagement remains a growth area for the Division. Specifically, EIPS will continue to offer information sessions related to mental health, Indigenous education, early learning, attendance and career pathways. The Division’s assurance framework will ensure the Division considers input from school families and community members as part of its decision-making process. As well, schools will continue to encourage school families’ involvement and input at school council meetings, parent-student-teacher interviews, performances, open houses and special events.

Priority Strategy For Education Plan

Fostering even more engagement with EIPS parents and caregivers is an ongoing priority for EIPS. Strategies for the 2025-26 school year include:

  • Continue to offer and promote professional learning sessions, information and resources to support families in engaging with their child about health and wellness, early learning, literacy and numeracy development, and planning post-senior high.
  • Continue to offer and promote information sessions and resources to support families in preparing their children for kindergarten.
  • Continue to offer family engagement sessions—hosted by speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and early learning consultants—focused on capacity building to support young learners.
  • Promote the Division’s and school-based Career Day and Take Our Kids to Work Day.
  • Continue all assurance framework efforts and offer opportunities for school families to provide input on divisional decision-making topics.
  • Facilitate best practices sessions to identify engagement strategies—elementary, junior high and senior high—so schools can improve two-way communication with school families.
  • Offer French Immersion information sessions for school families.
  • Continue to engage with EIPS’ Committee of School Councils as a tool for information gathering and input related to Division decision-making.
  • Continue public engagement efforts and stakeholder feedback processes to help inform decision-making and ensure students receive high-quality, student-centred education.
  • Continue communication efforts with EIPS families about the Division’s progress in meeting the goals and outcomes outlined in the EIPS Four-Year Education Plan: 2022-26.
  • Continue to regularly communicate with families and stakeholders about the Board of Trustees’ advocacy plan, why it's important and the activities undertaken related to advancing the advocacy work.
  • Continue communicating Division news, information and updates with EIPS families and stakeholders—emails, newsletters, news releases and social media posts.
  • Develop a school-family communications platform to combine all Division, school and teacher communications—including absence reporting and digital-form submissions.
  • Continue to host annual engagement gatherings with families who self-identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit. The goal: To build relationships and engage in respectful conversations.
  • Continue to build capacity with school council representatives by covering the Alberta School Councils’ Association membership costs and sponsoring registrations for the association’s annual School Councils Conference.
  • Prepare online mental health resources for parents and caregivers.
  • Continue to offer and promote information sessions related to infrastructure, planning and capital projects to ensure stakeholders are informed, engaged and can advocate on behalf of the Division.