February 22, 2005
Concordia University, Montreal
Recent Research
and Background
Reading
|
Creating a Culture of Learning
B. Parental Involvement
Parent and Community Partnerships: Schools and Parents
Without a doubt, the establishment of strong and vibrant educational partnerships with parents is
a particularly important asset in the process of education. These relationships are founded on the
triadic dynamic of teachers, students and parents, but, at their best extend to include school
administrators and support staff and to influence other members of extended families. Trust is an
essential ingredient of these relationships, when successful, and part of the important work of
school staff members is to create a climate in which relational trust between the school and its
families develops and grows (Bryk & Schneider, 2002).
Schools develop relational trust through the professional behaviour of their staff members as they
show respect by their actions, and particularly in their willingness to go beyond their contractual
duties in contacts with students and parents. Parents and communities look to actions more than
to words, and the actions they see are interpreted primarily through the filters of their own past
histories with schools as well as the personal and cultural beliefs they hold. The understanding
individuals have of the meaning of specific actions is thus primarily dependent on their own family
and community of origin. Simply put, this means that parents and communities that have had
good personal experiences with educational processes will find it easier to develop the trust
relationships with their local schools that lead to the effective home-school partnerships that benefit
students and enhance their learning.
The schools described in these case studies work hard to win the trust and support of their parents
and communities. Communications between school and home are good, and in some cases,
exceptional. Teachers, administrators, and support staff are in regular contact by telephone,
progress reports, and home visits. The fact that these contacts are frequently initiated to relay
compliments about a student's behaviour or accomplishments is a notable aspect. An advantage
in smaller communities is the numerous informal opportunities for building relationships that
occur through chance encounters between parents and teachers. Many of the schools have a
stated "open door" policy, and all work hard to welcome parents and ensure that they feel
comfortable in the school.
School staff are aware of the residual effects of residential schools within their communities.
Recognizing that visiting schools makes some parents and community members feel apprehensive,
they work hard to ameliorate this by offering a variety of non-threatening opportunities for school
visits. These include sports events, concerts, plays, and a variety of celebrations. Events where food
is shared with staff, students and families seem to hold a special place of importance, particularly
when the event relates to a cultural tradition, such as Elijah Smith's bison hunt and feast.
In terms of celebrations, the policy of the Peguis Band of including the parents of their high
school graduates in Peguis Central School's major graduation trips is both a tribute to the value of
effective home-school partnerships and recognition of the important role parents have in their
children's education.
|
|
