School, Family, and Community Partnerships : Preparing Educators and Improving Schools

by Epstein,Joyce L

• ISBN13: 9780813344478
• ISBN10: 0813344476
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-11-02
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

How can teachers and administrators be prepared to create partnerships with families and communities? Nationwide, rhetoric in favor of parent involvement is high, but the quality of most programs still is low. Part of the problem is that most teacher education, administrative training, and other education of school professionals omit topics of school, family, and community partnerships. Instead, educators are prepared in limited ways to "deal with parents" when problems occur. Well-known and respected author Joyce Epstein updates her acclaimedSchool, Family, and Community Partnershipsto reflect the past ten years of study and advancements. New readings address this growing field and offer expanded consideration of district leadership and its impact on school programs. Epstein contends it is now possible to prepare teachers and administrators with a solid base of knowledge on partnerships. Theoretical perspectives and results from research and development can and should be shared with educators. As partners, parents and teachers share responsibility for the education and development of their children. Common messages and collaborative activities of home and school help to promote student success, prevent problems, and solve those that arise. Epstein provides the material needed to help current educators and educators in training think about, talk about, and then act to develop comprehensive programs of school, family, and community partnerships. This collection is designed for use in courses of teacher education, preparation of school administrators, and other courses that prepare professionals to understand and to work in schools and with families and students. It is a definitive resource both in and out of the classroom with comments, discussion questions, activities, and field experiences in each of the chapters.

Author Biography

Joyce L. Epstein is director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and National Network of Partnership Schools, principal research scientist at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk, and research professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of more than 100 publications on the nature and effects of family involvement.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	p. xi
Preface and Acknowledgments	p. xv
Understanding School, Family, and Community Partnerships
Introduction	p. 3
Matching Rhetoric with Practice	p. 3
The Need	p. 4
The Gap	p. 5
Evidence of Change	p. 7
Policies Encourage Preparation on Partnerships	p. 9
More Is Needed	p. 10
The Goals	p. 11
Achieving the Goals	p. 12
Using This Volume	p. 12
Setting a Course	p. 16
Featured Topics for Discussion	p. 18
Activities and Exercises	p. 19
Summary	p. 20
References	p. 21
Theory and Overview	p. 25
Toward a Theory of Family-School Connections: Teacher Practices and Parent Involvement	p. 26
Moving Forward: Ideas for Research on School, Family, and Community Partnerships	p. 42
Discussion and Activities	p. 67
Research	p. 91
Parent Involvement: A Survey of Teacher Practices	p. 95
Teachers' Reported Practices of Parent Involvement: Problems and Possibilities	p. 115
School Programs and Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement in Inner-City Elementary and Middle School	p. 129
Parents' Reactions to Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement	p. 150
Single Parents and the Schools: Effects of Marital Status of Parent and Teacher Interactions	p. 171
Parents' Attitudes and Practices of Involvement in Inner-City Elementary and Middle Schools	p. 200
Effects on Student Achievement of Teachers' Practices of Parent Involvement	p. 216
Homework Practices, Achievements, and Behaviors of Elementary School Students	p. 231
Student Reactions to Teachers' Practices of Parent Involvement	p. 247
Discussion and Activities	p. 257
Applying Research on School, Family, and Community Partnerships
Policy Implications	p. 299
Parent Involvement: State Education Agencies Should Lead the Way	p. 304
Sample State and District Policies on School, Family, and Community Partnerships	p. 312
Research Meets Policy and Practice: How Are School Districts Addressing NCLB Requirements for Parental Involvement?	p. 331
Discussion and Activities	p. 347
A Practical Framework for Developing Comprehensive Partnership Programs	p. 387
School, Family, and Community Partnerships-Caring for the Children We Share	p. 389
Discussion and Activities	p. 415
Practical Applications: Linking Family and Community Involvement to Student Learning	p. 493
More Than Minutes: Teachers' Roles in Designing Homework	p. 496
Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS): Interactive Homework in Math, Science, and Language Arts	p. 521
Organizing Productive Volunteers in the Middle Grades	p. 555
Discussion and Activities	p. 562
Strategies for Action in Practice, Policy, and Research	p. 573
Discussion and Activities	p. 576
Index	p. 617
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