Teachers as Collaborative Partners: Working With Diverse Families and Communities

by Winn Tutwiler; Sandra J.

• ISBN13: 9780805839005
• ISBN10: 0805839003
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2005-05-31
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Teachers as Collaborative Partnersassists future and inservice teachers in developing a research-based framework for understanding the dynamics of school, family, and community relations. It provides foundational knowledge important for understanding families and communities, while exploring conditions that influence family-school-community interactions. The text is designed to engage the critical reflective capability of teachers in ways that will support their ability to work with diverse families in a variety of teaching contexts. *Part I focuses first on the social, cultural, and historical roots of the family, with specific attention to the evolution of public schools and the family as interdependent social institutions, and then on the multiple ways families conceive of and conduct family life, as well as the impact of community attributes on the work of families and schools. *Part II explores the relationship among families, communities, and schools within social, political, legal, and educational contexts. *Part III addresses educational practices that respond to authentic partnerships with families and communities. The goals of the text are supported by pedagogical tools that provide opportunities for readers to make connections between information in each chapter and realistic family-community-school situations. *Case Studiesare embedded in most chapters. These serve to complement research-based with authentic and personally articulated experiences of parents. Teachers then have the opportunity to make connections between theory and lived experiences. *Each chapter includesInquiry and Reflectionquestions andGuided Observationsto engage readers in case study analysis, situated learning exercises, and classroom and community observations and reflections. *TheFamily-Community-School Profileintroduced in this text as a teacher-generated summary allows for evaluation of family-community-school dynamics in specific contexts, and provides teacher candidates opportunities to engage in self-introspection around family-community-school issues before becoming an interacting member of a school-family community.Inquiry and Reflection and Guided Observationactivities completed throughout the text are used to generate theProfile.These exercises have been coded to align with specificProfilecomponents. TheProfile,which is also aligned withINTASC PrinciplesandNBPTS Propositions,easily becomes a portfolio section documenting teacher skills and knowledge associated with school, family, and community dynamics. Completion of the profile is described in-depth in the text. While the text is aligned with standards and field experiences that are a part of preservice teacher education programs, the content and exercises are equally helpful for inservice teachers wanting to document skills and knowledge in this area as required for National Board Certification.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
Chapter Alignment With Selected INTASC Principles	xix
Chapter Alignment With NBPTS Five Propositions	xx
Case List	xxi
Acknowledgments	xxiii
PART I: EXPLORING FAMILY AND COMMUNITY CONTEXTS: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES	1	(98)
1 Exploring Families Through Mothering Across Time and Cultures	3	(32)
19th-Century Family Change	4	(15)
Mothering in the Modern, Nuclear Family	6	(3)
Mothering in African American Enslaved Families	9	(1)
Mexicano Mothering in a Climate of Change	10	(1)
Chinese Mothering in Separated Families	11	(2)
Native American Mothering Amid Deculturalization	13	(2)
19th-Century School–Family Relations	15	(4)
Resurgence of the Nuclear Family—Mothering in the 1950's	19	(3)
Complex Aims of Schooling: Impact on School–Family Relations	22	(3)
The Family in Decline or Transformation?: Mothering in the 1960's and Beyond	25	(4)
The Family in Transition: Impact on School–Family Relations	29	(2)
Concluding Comments	31	(1)
Guided Observations	32	(3)
2 Family Structure and Membership: Multiple Meanings of Family	35	(20)
Married-Couple Families	36	(2)
Blended Families	38	(1)
Single-Parent Families	39	(3)
Gay and Lesbian Families	42	(1)
Intergenerational and Multigenerational Families	43	(2)
Adolescent-Parent Families	45	(2)
Adoptive and Foster Families	47	(3)
Biracial and Multiracial Families	50	(3)
Concluding Comments	53	(1)
Guided Observations	54	(1)
3 Social and Cultural Contexts of Family Life	55	(20)
Socioeconomic Status	56	(5)
Cultural and Structural Explanations for Social Class	57	(2)
Influences on Social Class Instability	59	(1)
The Poorest of the Poor: Homeless Families	60	(1)
Cultural and Ethnic Diversity Among Families	61	(10)
Dominant-Culture Families	65	(1)
Latino Families	65	(1)
African American Families	66	(1)
Native American Families	67	(2)
Asian American Families	69	(2)
Religion and Family Life	71	(2)
Concluding Comments	73	(1)
Guided Observations	74	(1)
4 Sources of Comfort, Sources of Distress: Neighborhoods and Communities	75	(24)
The Meaning of Community	76	(1)
Community as Place	76	(7)
Rural and Small-Town Communities	77	(2)
Urban Communities	79	(2)
Poverty and the Urban Ghetto	81	(2)
Community as Social Networks	83	(4)
Ethnic-Minority Network Systems	84	(1)
The Church as a Network System	84	(1)
Organizations as Network Systems	85	(1)
Ethnic Celebrations as Network Systems	86	(1)
Communities as Sites of Comfort or Sites of Distress	87	(9)
Educational Conditions	88	(2)
Health Conditions	90	(2)
Safety and Overall Well-Being	92	(4)
Concluding Comments	96	(1)
Guided Observations	96	(3)
PART II: UNDERSTANDING SCHOOL–FAMILY INTERACTIONS: SOCIAL, POLITICAL, LEGAL, AND EDUCATIONAL ISSUES	99	(62)
5 From Political Agenda to Academic Strategy: The Sociopolitical Context of School–Family Relations	101	(20)
Legislating Parental Involvement	101	(8)
ESEA's Mandate for Parental Involvement	103	(3)
Parental Involvement as Parental Control and Power	106	(3)
The Meaning of Parental Involvement	109	(2)
Educational and Social Implications of Parental Involvement Policy	111	(3)
Parental Involvement Organizations and Programs	114	(5)
Parent–Teacher Associations and Organizations	114	(2)
Parental Involvement in School Governance	116	(1)
Parent Education and Family Literacy Programs	117	(1)
Father Involvement Programs	118	(1)
Concluding Comments	119	(1)
Guided Observations	120	(1)
6 Parental Attributes: Influence on Interactions With Schools	121	(18)
Approaches to Parenting	122	(5)
Parenting Styles	122	(2)
Parenting Styles and the Cultural Context of Parenting	124	(3)
Parenting Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem	127	(3)
Influence of Socioeconomic Status and Educational Attainment of Parents	130	(3)
Abusive and Neglectful Parents	133	(3)
Concluding Comments	136	(1)
Guided Observations	137	(2)
7 Authority and Advocacy: Who Is Responsible for What?	139	(22)
Positional and Relational School Authority	140	(10)
Teachers' Professionalism and Autonomy	142	(2)
Curriculum, Assessment, and Academic Placement	144	(3)
Attendance and Discipline Authority	147	(3)
Advocacy	150	(3)
Advocacy for Parental Choice	150	(2)
Advocacy Within Public Schools	152	(1)
Perceptions of Roles and Responsibilities	153	(1)
Parental Role Construction	154	(1)
Dimensions of Parental Perceptions	154	(4)
Communicating Education Expectations	155	(1)
Connecting With Schools	155	(1)
Parental Influence on School Success and Failure	156	(1)
Influence of Parental Attributes	156	(1)
School–Home Boundaries	157	(1)
Sense of Community	158	(1)
Concluding Comments	158	(1)
Guided Observations	159	(2)
PART III: CREATING MUTUALLY RESPECTFUL AND RESPONSIVE FAMILY, COMMUNITY, AND SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS	161	(56)
8 Communicating With Families and Communities	163	(22)
School–Family Communication Practices	164	(10)
Parent–Teacher Conference	164	(3)
Back-to-School Nights and Organized School Meetings	167	(1)
Home Visits	168	(1)
Phone Calls, Notes, and Newsletters	169	(1)
Technology and Communication	170	(1)
Grades and Progress Reports	171	(3)
Communicating Sensitive or Unpleasant Information	174	(1)
Communicating With Communities	174	(1)
Cross-Cultural Communication	175	(5)
Communication Patterns	176	(3)
Communication and English-Language Usage	179	(1)
Communicating With Angry Parents	180	(2)
Concluding Comments	182	(1)
Guided Observations	183	(2)
9 Collaborating With Families and Communities: Support for Teaching and Learning	185	(20)
Family Influences on Learning	186	(4)
Approaches to Learning	186	(2)
Funds of Knowledge and Culturally Responsive Teaching	188	(1)
Home Language and Learning	189	(1)
Cultural Reciprocity Between School and Home	190	(9)
Collaboration Through Cultural Reciprocity	191	(1)
Collaboration and Trust	192	(2)
Families as Resources	194	(1)
School—Community Connections	195	(2)
Community Action and Schooling	197	(1)
School—Community Partnerships	198	(1)
Full-Service Schools	199	(1)
Living in the Community	199	(3)
Communities as Resources	202	(1)
Concluding Comments	203	(1)
Guided Observations	204	(1)
10 Family, Community, and School Profile	205	(12)
Completing the FCSP	206	(1)
Family—Community—School Profile Components	207	(10)
Teacher's Personal Belief System	207	(1)
Perceptions of Schooling	208	(2)
Family—Community Characteristics	210	(1)
School and Family Communication Patterns	211	(1)
Family, Community, and School Profile Summary: Abbreviated Example	212	(5)
Glossary	217	(6)
References	223	(12)
Author Index	235	(6)
Subject Index	241