Establishing a Parent Advisory Committee

To increase parent engagement and gain insight into parent perspectives on district agendas, some districts implement a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC). PACs bring together parents and district administrators on a regularly-scheduled basis to discuss various issues such as operations, budget, and new curriculum.

This brief first explores districts’ motivations for creating a PAC. Next, it overviews strategies to recruit parent participants and describes how profiled districts set agendas and facilitate their PAC meetings. Finally, the brief overviews general strategies for increasing parent engagement in the community beyond creating a PAC.