Building Teacher-Family Partnerships: The Role of Teacher Preparation Programs.

Abstract

Most people believe in and support notion that all students should be given an opportunity to realize their full potential for success and that no should fail and be left behind. Unfortunately, emphasis on increasing student achievement, as determined by high-stakes test scores, has too often resulted in a focus on standardized test scores rather than a focus on overall quality education. Educators too frequently focus on small pieces of testing problem instead of focusing on of school To bring about change and ensure that all children have opportunity to reach their full potential, educators must look at broadening circle; educating children must be studied and assessed in context of family, school, community, and society. The adage takes a village to raise a child is applicable to educational system. If goal is a highly educated population, educators must examine all aspects of society to bring about needed changes that will allow for best possible education of all students. Undisputed evidence exists supporting position that children are more apt to succeed not just in school, but throughout life, when schools and families work together to support learning (Henderson & Berla, 1994). One of difficulties with addressing issues surrounding involvement is that it is defined in many different ways. Family involvement tends to be a generic term used to describe all types of interaction with educators: policy-making, education, volunteer activities, fund raising, and simple exchange of information. A common definition of effective involvement has yet to be agreed upon. The primary educational legislation in United States, The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, defines parental involvement as the participation of in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities (No Child Left Behind Act, 2002, Sec. 9101 [32]). The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is a national organization established over 100 years ago to better lives of children. PTA developed a position statement that defined parent/family involvement as the participation of in every facet of education and development of children from birth to adulthood. Parent Involvement takes many forms including as first educators, as decision makers about children's education, health, and well being, as well as advocates for children's success. (Parent Teacher Association, n.d.). These definitions clearly articulate need for families and schools to work collaboratively to improve educational experiences of all children. Throughout this article, words parent or parents are used interchangeably with family or families. This is in recognition of fact that a variety of members--siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, foster parents, or friends, may have primary responsibility for a child's education, care, and well-being (Ratcliff, 2008). Gaining this perspective on big picture of total school success is especially critical for those educators working with schools having large populations of low socioeconomic status students. These children of poverty too often have a greater probability of school failure and poor standardized test performance than any other subgroup of student population. In a study done to describe low performing schools in one section of southeastern United States, it was determined that certain specific factors characterized many of family's in low socioeconomic status, lower performing schools where students were struggling to pass state content examinations. Frequently, it was found that students from these low socioeconomic situations came from families where mothers were in their early teenage years; as one school administrator said, We have a case where children are having children. …

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