How can schools effectively engage and communicate with ELL families?
Building Strong Home-School Connections for ELL Families
English Language Learner (ELL) families bring incredible strengths to school communities, resilience, multilingualism, and a global perspective. But too often, barriers in language, access, and trust make it difficult for families to feel truly connected to their child’s learning journey.
Strong home-school partnerships are especially important for ELL students, whose success depends not only on classroom support but also on meaningful, culturally responsive communication between school and home.
The key is not just translation, it’s relationship-building.
Why ELL Family Engagement Matters
When ELL families are actively engaged:
Students show higher academic achievement
Attendance improves
Behavior referrals decrease
Confidence in learning increases
Schools become more inclusive and equitable
ELL families want to support their children, but they need access, respect, and intentional outreach.
Challenges to Engagement and How to Respond
Language Barriers
ELL families may struggle to understand school documents, websites, or policies written only in English.
What to Do:
Offer communications in families’ home languages
Use clear, plain language and avoid jargon
Provide visual support and translated glossaries
Use apps like TalkingPoints or translation features in Remind and Google Classroom
Cultural Mismatch
Traditional American norms around school involvement may differ from those in a family’s home country.
What to Do:
Ask families how schooling works in their culture
Normalize a wide range of family roles—support isn’t only about attending meetings
Create space to learn from families, not just inform them
Fear or Distrust
Past experiences with institutions, especially for immigrant or refugee families, can create anxiety around school systems.
What to Do:
Lead with empathy and warmth
Ensure interpreters are available, not just for IEP meetings, but all touchpoints
Include community liaisons or trusted bilingual staff
Emphasize that families are welcome, not judged
Effective communication starts with a global perspective
10 Best Practices to Build Home-School Connections with ELL Families
1. Provide Multilingual Communication from Day One
Welcome letters, enrollment packets, and website content should be available in the top home languages spoken in your school.
Pro Tip: Use QR codes to link to translated videos or voice messages from the principal and teachers.
2. Use Tech Tools That Break the Language Barrier
Free or low-cost tools like TalkingPoints, ClassDojo, and Remind offer auto-translation and allow two-way communication with families.
Bonus: These tools are mobile-friendly and accessible for families without computers.
3. Host Multilingual Family Nights or Cafés
Invite families for informal gatherings where they can meet teachers, ask questions, and learn about school programs, in their language.
Ideas:
Literacy or math nights with interpreters
Multilingual story hours led by families
“Culture & Coffee” mornings with student showcases
4. Invite Families to Share Their Stories
Let families share their language, food, traditions, or migration journeys in classrooms or newsletters.
Why it works: It centers families as valued contributors, not just recipients of information.
5. Use Visuals and Video to Communicate
Send home short video updates in multiple languages using simple tools like Loom or Flip. Include visuals in newsletters, calendars, and fliers.
Tip: Pair video with captions or subtitles for better accessibility.
6. Offer Parent Workshops Tailored to ELL Families
Topics might include:
Understanding the U.S. school system
Supporting homework and reading at home
Navigating high school graduation requirements
Accessing health or social services
Best practice: Partner with community organizations or interpreters.
7. Survey Families In Their Language
Ask families what supports they need, how they prefer to communicate, and what time/day works best for them.
Use surveys to:
Tailor your outreach
Identify cultural needs
Build programming based on real voices
8. Hire Bilingual Staff or Cultural Liaisons
Bilingual aides, office staff, or family liaisons help bridge the gap between home and school, and often build trust faster than formal channels.
Where possible, reflect the linguistic and cultural diversity of your student population in your hiring practices.
9. Make Parent-Teacher Conferences Truly Inclusive
Offer interpreter services and schedule flexibility. Use visuals, portfolios, and sentence frames to explain student progress in simple, clear ways.
Bonus tip: Invite students to co-lead or translate during the conference (if appropriate), which can be empowering for them and clarifying for families.
10. Celebrate Home Languages and Cultures Year-Round
Create multilingual bulletin boards, highlight student language growth, and plan events that celebrate cultural heritage and multilingualism, not just during holidays.
Ideas:
“Language of the Month” features
Multilingual story displays in the library
Student podcasts or videos showcasing home languages
Final Thoughts: Connection Before Communication
Family engagement isn’t just about forms and meetings. It’s about trust, belonging, and shared purpose. When schools treat ELL families as partners, not outsiders, they strengthen the bridge between home and classroom. Every family, no matter their language, wants the same thing: For their child to feel seen, supported, and successful.
Looking for step-by-step guidance?
Check out Inclusive Classroom Resource Pack — strategies and templates for fostering equity and supporting diverse learners. Also included in the Inclusive & Supportive Teaching Pack.
Inclusive Classroom Resource Pack
Why Teachers Love It: Teachers love it because it provides practical strategies to support diverse learners and helps make every student feel seen, valued, and included.
Build a Caring & Inclusive Classroom - Foster belonging, support student well-being, and guide smooth transitions with this inclusive teaching resource bundle. Why Teachers Love It: Makes it easy to integrate SEL and DEI practices into everyday routines.