OPINION: Parents, here’s why your most important partner may be your child’s teacher (and vice versa)
Seven ways that family collaboration can benefit students
As teachers return to the start of school following summer break, I hope they will take some time to reflect on ways to effectively communicate and partner with the families of the students they teach.
Particularly for educators in early and elementary education, they have a chance to set the course for how families imagine school and family connections. As a parent of young children, I know for sure that I am doing the very best I can to support them for school success. But, even as a university professor of education, I still experience a deep level of anxiety and vulnerability about how best to partner with teachers to support my children.
As I’ve communicated with other families across the United States, I have learned that they too yearn for opportunities to build stronger partnerships with teachers.
Similar to a doctor with a bedside manner that fosters respect and trust when working with patients and their families, teachers can design initial and subsequent interactions with families that demonstrate trust, collaboration and advocacy, giving them a better chance of effectively meeting the needs of students.
I believe teachers can learn something really powerful about how to communicate with families and build sustainable partnerships with them. As teachers prepare to build and cultivate positive, relevant CONTINUE READING: Parent-teacher partnerships are crucial for students
BACK TO SCHOOL: A parent’s guide to K-12 school success
A parent’s guide to K-12 school success
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What Schools Can Do To Support Parents
- Recognize that all parents, regardless of income, education or cultural background, are involved in their children's learning and want their children to do well.
- Design programs that will support families to guide their children's learning,from preschool through high school.
- Develop the capacity of school staff and families to work together.
- Link activities and programs for families to improving student learning.
- Focus on developing trusting and respectful relationships among staff and families.
- Build families' social and political connections.
- Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power.
- Make sure that parents, school staff, and community members understand that the responsibility for children's educational development is a collaborative enterprise.
- Build strong connections between schools and community organizations.
- Include families in all strategies to reduce the achievement gap between white, middle-class students and low-income students and students of color.
