Community-based participatory research as a strategy for increasing family engagement in school settings

In this article, the authors have presented the findings of a study using Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to create partnerships among communities, families, and schools with the goal of increasing family engagement. This study was implemented in an economically and ethnically/racially diverse elementary school which also faces significant turnover of families and students each year. Thus, building community and encouraging engagement of families must be a continuous process. The authors assert the importance of engaging families by recognizing their strengths, seeking to reduce the power differential between families and school staff, and genuinely encouraging full partnership and participation by asking families directly what they need, what they want, and what they can contribute to the school community. CBPR is a methodology whereby members of the community are engaged in the research process from formulation of research question(s) to data collection to analysis and interpretation of data, and finally to recommendations and implementation of those recommendations. Essentially, CBPR is both a research approach and an intervention, as family and community members develop skills that can be applied in the future and feel empowered to make changes. The article describes this process in this particular community.