ED351149 92 Teacher-Parent Partnerships. ERIC Digest. Author: Swick, Kevin J. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Urbana, Ill.
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The partnership construct is based on the premise that collaborating
partners have some common basis for action and a sense of mutuality
that supports their joint ventures. Teachers and parents have a common
need for joining together in partnership: the need to foster positive
growth in children and in themselves. It is their challenge to create
a sense of mutuality so that their efforts are meaningful to all those
involved.
PARENT AND TEACHER ATTRIBUTES THAT PROMOTE PARTNERSHIP
Research provides insight on parent attributes that support meaningful
partnerships. These attributes include warmth, sensitivity,
nurturance, the ability to listen, consistency, a positive self-image,
a sense of efficacy, personal competence, and effective interpersonal
skills.
Marital happiness, family harmony, success in prior collaborations,
and openness to others' ideas have also been related to parental
competence in promoting partnerships (Swick, 1991). Schaefer (1985)
has noted that parents who are high in self-esteem are more assertive
in their family and school involvement. Not all parents achieve the
competence that supports these attributes. Teachers can provide a
setting that encourages the development of partnership behaviors in
parents. Modeling respect and communication skills, showing a genuine
interest in the children, responding constructively to parent
concerns, promoting a teamwork philosophy, and being sensitive to
parent and family needs are some ways to promote this process. Lawler
(1991) suggests that teachers encourage parents to be positive through
the example they set in being supportive, responsive, and dependable.
Teacher attributes that appear to positively influence teachers'
relationships with children and parents include: warmth, openness,
sensitivity, flexibility, reliability, and accessibility (Comer and
Haynes, 1991). From the parents' perspective, these teacher
characteristics are desirable: trust, warmth, closeness, positive
self-image, effective classroom management, child-centeredness,
positive discipline, nurturance, and effective teaching skills.
Researchers have cited the following teacher attributes as highly
related to successful parent involvement: positive attitudes, active
planning to involve parents, continuous teacher training, involvement
in professional growth, and personal competence (Epstein, 1984;
Galinsky, 1990).
TEACHER-PARENT PARTNERSHIP ROLES: A FRAMEWORK
The research on parent involvement indicates that parents and teachers
can create viable partnerships by engaging in joint learning
activities, supporting each other in their respective roles, carrying
out classroom and school improvement activities, conducting
collaborative curriculum projects in the classroom, participating
together in various decision-making activities, and being advocates
for children (Swick, 1991). Integral to these activities are the
various parent and teacher roles and behaviors that make for
successful partnerships.
- Parenting roles are performed within the family and within
family-school relationships. Roles critical to family growth are
nurturing, teaching, and modeling. Within the larger family-school
structure, parents must carry out learning, doing, supporting, and
decision-making roles. Naturally, parents use these various roles
across contexts, but they emphasize particular roles as family or
family-school situations dictate (Schaefer, 1985). For example, recent
findings suggest that when parents sense an inviting school climate,
they emphasize nurturing and supporting behaviors in their
interactions with teachers; their participation in the school
environment also increases (Comer and Haynes, 1991).
- Teacher roles critical to the partnership process include the
family-centered roles of support, education, and guidance. Teacher
roles that focus on family involvement in school and classroom
activities include those of nurturing, supporting, guiding, and
decision-making.
- Together, parents and teachers can foster their partnership through
such behaviors as collaborating, planning, communicating and
evaluating (Epstein and Dauber, 1991; Swick, 1991).
A FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGIES: APPLICATIONS FROM RESEARCH
An action-oriented philosophy of family-school support and nurturance
is a powerful force in creating a positive learning environment.
Teacher actions that promote such a philosophy include the sensitive
involvement of parents from cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds
(Lightfoot, 1978). Relating classroom activities to the varying needs
and interests of children and families is another reflection of a
family-centered program.
Since teacher-parent partnerships are developmental in nature and best
realized through a comprehensive approach, a framework for carrying
out the process is essential. The following elements need close
scrutiny: teacher and parent contexts, role understandings, and an
appreciation of the partnership process itself. Further, a sensitivity
to each others' needs, situations, and talents is a requisite basis
for a viable program.
Given that each program is and should be unique, particular elements,
such as the following, are essential: needs assessments, goal
statements, prioritization of activities, strategy development,
implementation plans, and evaluation tools (Comer and Haynes, 1991).
It has been noted that parents, when given the opportunity, are quite
active in setting program goals (Powell, 1989). Swick (1992) notes
that the availability of teachers and the offering of such services as
transportation and child care to parents increases participation in
program planning significantly.
A plethora of strategies have proven effective in promoting strong
partnerships. The degree to which strategies are related to the needs
and interests of parents and to the unique situations of schools and
teachers influences the level of success. Home visits, conferences,
parent centers, telecommunication, involvement in the classroom,
participatory decision-making, parent and adult education programs,
home learning activities, and family-school networking are some of the
many strategies that have effectively engaged parents and teachers in
supportive and collaborative roles (Swick, 1991). Creative uses of
technology offer new possibilities for building partnerships with
parents that reach beyond traditional limits (Bauch, 1990).
FAMILY-CENTERED SCHOOLS
Early childhood education's commitment to families is strengthened
through the partnership process. True collaborative efforts are
prompting teachers and parents to plan from a family-centered
perspective. Family-centered schools need to be intimately involved
with families in planning and nurturing healthy environments. A
significant part of this effort is the development of a curriculum for
caring that promotes a shared learning process among children,
parents, and teachers. This school-family curriculum should focus on
the caring elements of self-image, prosocial relationships with
others, development of multicultural understandings, sensitive and
empathetic relationships, nurturing and positive discipline, and
creative problem-solving strategies.
A family-centered focus must also become a part of the community's
fabric. A human network of family, school, and community learners
needs to be part of a covenant for creating positive human
environments. In particular, intergenerational family wellness needs,
the family's and the school's needs for learning and sharing, and
related community partnership needs provide the foundation for a
family-centered effort.
REFERENCES
Bauch, J. The Transparent School Model: From Idea to Implementation.
Washington, DC: National Education Association, 1990.
Comer, J., and Haynes, M. "Parent Involvement in Schools: An
Ecological Approach." Elementary School Journal 91 (1991): 271-278. EJ
429 059.
Epstein, J. "School Policy and Parent Involvement: Research Results."
Educational Horizons 62 (1984): 70-72. EJ 429 689.
Epstein, J., and Dauber, S. "School Programs and Teacher Practices of
Parent Involvement in Inner-City Elementary and Middle Schools."
Elementary School Journal 91 (1991): 289-306. EJ 429 061.
Galinsky, E. "Why Are Some Parent-Teacher Relationships Clouded with
Difficulties?" Young Children 45 (1990): 2-3, 38-39. EJ 415 403.
Lawler, D. Parent-Teacher Conferencing in Early Childhood Education.
Washington, DC: National Education Association, 1991.
Lightfoot, S. Worlds Apart: Relationships Between Families and School.
New York: Basic Books, 1978.
Powell, D. Families and Early Childhood Programs. Washington, DC:
National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1989. ED 309
872.
Scheafer, E. "Parent and Child Correlates of Parental Modernity." In
Sigel, B., ed. Parental Belief Systems: The Psychological Consequences
for Children. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1985.
Swick, K. Teacher-Parent Partnerships To Enhance School Success in
Early Childhood Education. Washington, DC: National Education
Association, 1991.
Swick, K. An Early Childhood School-Home Learning Design. Champaign,
IL: Stipes Publishing, 1992.
References identified with an ED (ERIC document) number are cited in
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This publication was prepared with funding from the Office of
Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education,
under OERI contract no. RI88062012. The opinions expressed in this
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