The Trust Deficit: Why Family Engagement Is the Missing Link in Public Education

Rebuilding Confidence, Connection and Culture Through Systemic Family Engagement

By Lisa Imel | Founder & CEO, EdSolutions Group

In a climate where public trust in education is unraveling, student attendance is plummeting, and teacher burnout has become the norm, one solution remains consistently underleveraged: family engagement.
Not as a gesture.
As a strategy.

For decades, we’ve acknowledged that family engagement matters. We've known that students thrive when families and schools are aligned, and that trust is the foundation of healthy school ecosystems. But despite this awareness, engagement is too often relegated to the margins—siloed, performative, or tacked on as an afterthought. It rarely enters the rooms where district priorities are set, budgets are crafted, and long-term strategies are forged.

That’s a mistake we can no longer afford.

Because in today’s environment, engagement isn’t a “nice-to-have.”
It’s the most underrated, untapped lever for cultural renewal in public education.
And trust isn’t intangible. It’s actionable.

The Data Is In: Family Engagement Delivers Measurable Outcomes

Family engagement is not a soft strategy—it’s one of the highest-yield, lowest-cost investments a district can make.

According to the Harvard Family Research Project, students with engaged families are 24% more likely to graduate and 55% more likely to earn higher grades. The U.S. Department of Education reports that schools with robust family-school partnerships see 40% fewer disciplinary incidents, stronger attendance, and significantly higher staff morale.

The impact extends beyond student performance. When families are connected to the school’s mission and communication is proactive, the entire community re-engages. In one district where levies had failed for over 15 years, the introduction of Parent Engagement Lab™ was a turning point. By aligning messaging, increasing visibility, and embedding relational trust into every layer of communication, the district not only passed its levy—but reignited community belief in its schools. Engagement wasn’t just an initiative. It was the difference-maker.

This is what happens when engagement becomes a core strategy—not a compliance task.

It’s Not Just About Students—It’s About Educators, Too

Family engagement is often framed solely as a student success tool. But its impact on educators is equally vital—and often overlooked.

Teachers consistently cite family communication as one of their top stressors. When that communication is inconsistent or adversarial, it drains emotional energy and accelerates burnout. But when schools embed systems for authentic, relational connection, educators feel supported, understood, and less isolated. They’re more likely to stay, to invest in their craft, and to rediscover the meaning in their work.

This kind of relational buffering—what psychologists call a protective factor—can’t be built through curriculum or policy alone. It must be part of a school’s culture.

When teachers know they’re not the only ones advocating for a student…
When they hear encouragement instead of criticism…
When families are partners instead of wild cards…
The work becomes human again. And in this era, that’s not a luxury. It’s a necessity.

Moving from Moments to Systems

Recognizing the importance of engagement is one thing. Operationalizing it is another.

That’s why I created Parent Engagement Lab™—a district-wide framework that transforms family engagement from a patchwork of efforts into a strategic, aligned system. Built around nine evidence-based modules, it equips school teams with proactive scripts, customizable outreach tools, and scalable audits that align directly with district priorities.

Districts that implement the framework report:
• Increased attendance
• Reduced teacher stress
• Improved community perception
• Levy approvals after years of failure
• Higher educator satisfaction and retention

But the most transformative outcome?
Educators no longer feel like trust is something they must build alone.
Trust becomes part of the system—not a side effect.

Leading Through Trust, Not Compliance

The superintendents and principals I admire most aren’t just managing initiatives. They’re investing in trust as infrastructure—an asset that compounds over time. They don’t view family engagement as a department or a line item. They see it as the relational foundation of everything else that works.

They ask bold, courageous questions like:
• Do our families know what we stand for?
• Are we making it easier—or harder—for teachers to build meaningful relationships with parents?
• Are our systems designed to align… or are we relying on goodwill to bridge the gaps?

In high-performing districts, the answers are embedded in daily practice.
In struggling ones, the opportunity is still ahead.
This isn’t about adding more.
It’s about doing differently—and doing intentionally.

Final Thought: Engagement Is the Work

In a time when every decision in public education feels high-stakes, it’s tempting to chase frameworks, chase funding, and chase metrics—while relegating engagement to newsletters and event nights.

But this work—this human, relational, sometimes messy work of connecting schools to families—isn’t a distraction from the mission.
It is the mission.

When engagement is treated as a strategy, not a side task:
Teachers stay.
Communities show up.
Students thrive.
Districts transform.

Because when schools build trust systemically, they don’t just change the way families show up.
They change the way educators feel.
They change the way communities vote.
They change what’s possible.

That is the power of engagement—when it becomes alignment.

You Don’t Need Another Initiative. You Need Alignment.

If you’re ready to stop doing more—and start doing what works—now is the time to build a system of trust that sustains your team, your families, and your students.

Schedule Your Executive Strategy Call and discover how Parent Engagement Lab™ can align engagement efforts with what matters most.

References

FutureEd. (2023). Chronic absenteeism: What’s driving the crisis? Georgetown University. https://www.future-ed.org/work/chronic-absenteeism/
Harvard Family Research Project. (2010). The Family Engagement Impact Project.https://archive.globalfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/the-family-engagement-impact-project
U.S. Department of Education. (2013). Partners in Education: A Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family–School Partnerships. https://www2.ed.gov/documents/family-community/partners-education.pdf

About the Author

Lisa Imel is the Founder and CEO of EdSolutions Group and the Eunoia Institute. Her experience spans PK–16 education, including roles as a principal, curriculum coordinator, teacher, adjunct instructor, and school trustee. She holds a superintendent license, is a Fulbright Scholar, and a Paul Harris Fellow. Lisa is the author of Unleash Your Potential: A Holistic Approach to Personal and Professional Development, and has been featured in Principal Navigator, national conferences, and numerous media outlets. Under her leadership, EdSolutions Group delivers high-impact, educator-centered solutions that improve school culture, strengthen community engagement, and support educator well-being across districts nationwide.