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Panelists point to time, inconsistent practices and high‑school structure as main barriers to deeper family engagement
Summary
Panelists and principals told the subcommittee the chief obstacles are limited teacher time, inconsistent district‑wide practices, and the complex scheduling of upper schools that make parent–teacher conversations harder to arrange.
Several panelists said that time limitations and inconsistent implementation across schools are the principal obstacles to deeper family engagement. Jody described a case where some schools schedule 20‑minute listening sessions and others 30, and recounted that a spring listening session failed to occur at one school.
"Our school only has 20 minute listening sessions," Jody said, adding that a cancelled spring session disappointed parents. Principal Sepulveda emphasized the burden on teachers with large caseloads and specialists who see the whole school: "Time is always a challenge... I have teachers with 25 students. Fifteen minutes, that's all." Lauren urged practical adjustments—phone calls and small scheduling fixes—that support sustained two‑way communication: "A 10 minute phone conversation can be way more powerful than a 20 back and forth emails." Panelists recommended systemic expectations, coaching, and embedding engagement in evaluation and school improvement plans to make approaches consistent across buildings.
