Involving families and support systems in students’ educational experience

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As David Perlmutter explains in his Chronicle article “Admin 101: Why you should meet the parents,” contemporary parents have a vastly different role in their children’s lives and educations than their predecessors, and it is not all bad. Parents and children have closer relationships today. Members of students’ support systems may be more intensely invested in the complicated college choice-and-application process. Evolving financial-aid structures and the escalated cost of higher education may require increased involvement too.  

Modern technology has also impacted families’ role in the educational process. During high school, most parents and guardians have access to their students’ grades, attendance records and teachers through a learning platform such as Schoology (the secondary-education equivalent of Canvas). Not all parents are “stalking grades” — many students count on support in these learning platforms to help them with study skills, time management, etc. But all of a sudden, when students get to college, support systems are completely cut off from this communication and participation. 

As a faculty member, how can you encourage your students’ support systems to participate in their college experience?  

First, some caveats: 

• Student privacy is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. When facilitating family participation, do a quick check to make sure your plans align with FERPA restrictions.  
• Not all students want their families or support systems to be directly engaged in their education. Ask your students if, and how, they would like to involve their support systems (see below in the “faculty” section for tips on how to do this). 
• Not all families or support systems look alike, so their involvement can’t always look alike either. Avoid unintentional exclusion by diversifying opportunities for student supporters to engage.  

Faculty: 

• Consider using a beginning-of-the-semester survey to ask your students if they have a personal support system (make sure to include an option for “prefer not to answer” in case students don’t wish to talk about their support system or lack thereof). If they do, encourage them to lean into that. If they do not, offer them avenues of University support. This university webpage lists many of the services MSU Denver offers in one convenient spot. 
• As Perlmutter politely explains, higher ed is confusing to navigate, —even for faculty members. Be kind if members of the student support system request involvement due to confusion. Be proactive in providing messaging to families that explains the ins and outs of credit hours, majors and minors, the importance of registering for classes, etc. At a school such as MSU Denver, where there is a high rate of first-generation college students , this can be even more important to attend to.  
• Write a letter to the students’ supporters or create an assignment in which students write a letter they can choose to share with their support system. Explain what is happening in class; talk about homework, exams and projects; and emphasize what students are learning and how it is important in real life (applicable and transferable skills). Even if you must depend on the students themselves to deliver this letter to their support system, it is a valuable model that lets students know you care about how they are being supported outside the classroom.  
• Understand that parents are generally more involved in their children’s lives today and that suddenly cutting that cord can be difficult for them and their student. Try to find ways to promote independence and growth for the student without excluding their support system. Whenever possible and appropriate, allow students to invite their supporters to events such as award ceremonies or encourage them to let their supporters accompany them to sporting events or on-campus talks. 
• Be flexible with due dates, etc., so students can honor family involvement and responsibilities, including celebrations and caregiving. 
• Understand that students may have wildly different levels of family responsibility and that this may be exacerbated if they are living at home while attending college. Recognize that many of our students are also supporting their families financially and emotionally. Race, ethnicity and gender also come into play in this category. Help to walk the line between expectations and welcoming of family support and understanding that our students are often the anchor of their family. This includes asking students to complete a FERPA Release if they want a supporter to come to advising meetings. It also includes being clear when support systems are welcome, or not, at educational events, and ways to let students know when it is OK to not participate in an event if they have family obligations. 
• Parents and families/support systems can have different views on the utility of a college education. Trade school, taking over the family business, etc., can often be seen as more viable alternatives to an expensive college degree. Help families understand the possible pathways and economic benefits of completing college. This might include sharing financial-aid and scholarship information each semester with students so they can in turn share with their support systems. You might even share news articles that show the monetary benefit of many college degrees, such as this Forbes article.  
• Simply be respectful of different cultural approaches to living with family or depending on unique support systems. While you may have been encouraged to leave the house and become independent at age 18, other cultures have different hopes and expectations. Students carry these models into your classroom, so you need to respect different ways of supporting and being supported. 

What faculty members can suggest to the institution: 

• Understand that college, whether at a less-expensive school such as MSU Denver or the most expensive private institution, is an investment and that families who contribute to the cost, as investors, should understand how their money is being spent and have agency in decision-making processes for their students.  
• Count on students’ support systems to help with retention and completion. Student Affairs campaigns should incorporate support-system involvement beyond Convocation and all the way through to graduation. Consider developing a program or office to leverage this connection.