Partnering with Families
Schools need to engage families. This work is hard and can be a challenging process, especially when you throw in cultural differences, work schedules, internalized beliefs about the community…these things can all feel like barriers. Yet, if we truly value the relationship with families, these barriers simply become a feature of the relationship we need to willingly navigate as we pursue connection and collaboration. Like any relationship, effort and intentionality are required to make it work.
Below are some book titles to get this conversation started with your staff, or even to begin reflecting on your personal approach to the role families play in your context, and how to improve your pursuit and partnership with them.
Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom
How we connect with and communicate with families is a necessary part of helping our learners thrive. This book, republished in 2006, explores power imbalances in our society, how it fuels miscommunication and misconceptions, and how schools can and should be the ones to break those barriers.
Partnering with Parents to Ask the Right Questions: A Powerful Strategy for Strengthening School-Family Partnerships
Authors Luz Santana, Dan Rothstein, and Agnes Bain share a surprisingly simple strategy to increase and improve family advocacy for their kids in a way that will empower families and schools to effectively partner together.
School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools
This book is based on the original research of the author, and offers insights into how to effectively coach teachers and schools to successful partnerships with families, giving them the tools to “ think about, talk about, and then act to develop comprehensive programs of school, family, and community partnerships.” It outline’s the author’s theory of “overlapping spheres of influence” and her own framework.
Just Schools: Building Equitable Collaborations with Families and Communities
From the publisher: “The text explores how equitable collaboration entails ongoing processes that begin with families and communities, transform power, build reciprocity and agency, and foster collective capacity through collective inquiry.” This text dives into system-wide and school-based approaches for building partnerships, not just systems of communication.
The list could go on and on — use these books as a starting point to grow your understanding of how to partner effectively with families. For further study or support, connect with us at constructedfirm.co/connect and let us support your journey toward bridging the gap between your school and your community.
