ABSTRACT
Preparing educators for family and community engagement is an essential strategy to ensure that family engagement is high-impact and rooted in racial and social justice. Nevertheless, too few educators have opportunities to learn about and practice family and community engagement early and throughout their careers. This chapter explores the state of the field of educator preparation for family engagement as a key lever for expanding and broadening family, school, and community partnerships. This chapter begins with a review of the research on the preparation of educators for family engagement. It then turns to a review of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions educators need to engage families authentically and meaningfully. The chapter then highlights two initiatives that The National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement is currently undertaking to expand and reimagine how educators are prepared for family engagement in their pre-service work and into and through their careers.
