Synopses & Reviews
School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools addresses a fundamental question in education today: How will colleges and universities prepare future teachers, administrators, counselors, and other education professionals to conduct effective programs of family and community involvement that contribute to students success in school?
The work of Joyce L. Epstein has advanced theories, research, policies, and practices of family and community involvement in elementary, middle, and high schools, districts, and states nationwide. In this second edition, she shows that there are new and better ways to organize programs of family and community involvement as essential components of district leadership and school improvement.
THE SECOND EDITION OFFERS EDUCATORS AND RESEARCHERS:
A framework for helping rising educators to develop comprehensive, goal-linked programs of school, family, and
community partnerships.
A clear discussion of the theory of overlapping spheres of influence, which asserts that schools, families, and communities
share responsibility for student success in school.
A historic overview and exploration of research on the nature and effects of parent involvement.
Methods for applying the theory, framework, and research on partnerships in college course assignments, class
discussions, projects and activities, and fi eld experiences.
Examples that show how research-based approaches improve policies on partnerships, district leadership, and
school programs of family and community involvement.
Definitive and engaging, School, Family, and Community Partnerships can be used as a main or supplementary text in courses on foundations of education methods of teaching, educational administration, family and community relations, contemporary issues in education, sociology of education, sociology of the family, school psychology, social work, education policy, and other courses that prepare professionals to work in schools and with families and students.
Review
”Well-organized and contains activities based on theory and research that all school leaders can really put into practice.”
NASSP Bulletin
Epstein has her hand on one of the most crucial levers for improving our educational system. The definitive sourcebook for teachers and scholars.”
Kevin Ryan, Boston University
Review
This book should be required reading in any course on school improvement or school leadership, and for anyone seeking to look beyond quick fixes towards more durable supports for student learning.”
—Carolyn Riehl, Ph.D., Teachers College, Columbia University
Provides a firm foundation for the challenge inherent in implementing the complex process of school, family, and community interaction.”
—Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk
”Offers educators a framework for thinking about, talking about, and actually building comprehensive programs for school and family partnerships.”
—Hispanic Outlook
”The strengths of this book are: 1) its extensive research on parents and their perceptions of school involvement; teacher perception and understanding of parent involvement; and students thinking about family involvement, 2) its combination of research and application, and policy initiatives in one text, 3) the clear, matter-of-fact writing style, which draws the reader into the work, and 4) the detailed history of the theories and practices of the family-school relationship in childrens learning.”
—Teachers College Record
Synopsis
How can teachers and administrators be prepared to create partnerships with families and communities? Nationwide, rhetoric in favor of parent involvement is high, but the quality of most programs still is low. Part of the problem is that most teacher education, administrative training, and other education of school professionals omit topics of school, family, and community partnerships. Instead, educators are prepared in limited ways to deal with parents” when problems occur.
Well-known and respected author Joyce Epstein updates her acclaimed School, Family, and Community Partnerships to reflect the past ten years of study and advancements. New readings address this growing field and offer expanded consideration of district leadership and its impact on school programs. Epstein contends it is now possible to prepare teachers and administrators with a solid base of knowledge on partnerships. Theoretical perspectives and results from research and development can and should be shared with educators. As partners, parents and teachers share responsibility for the education and development of their children. Common messages and collaborative activities of home and school help to promote student success, prevent problems, and solve those that arise. Epstein provides the material needed to help current educators and educators in training think about, talk about, and then act to develop comprehensive programs of school, family, and community partnerships.
This collection is designed for use in courses of teacher education, preparation of school administrators, and other courses that prepare professionals to understand and to work in schools and with families and students. It is a definitive resource both in and out of the classroom with comments, discussion questions, activities, and field experiences in each of the chapters.
Synopsis
Updated and revised throughout, Joyce Epsteins classic book provides a framework for thinking about, talking about, and actually building comprehensive programs for school and family partnerships.
About the Author
Joyce L. Epstein is director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and National Network of Partnership Schools, principal research scientist at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk, and research professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of more than 100 publications on the nature and effects of family involvement.
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures Preface and Acknowledgments
Part One - Understanding School, Family, and Community Partnerships
1 Introduction
Matching Rhetoric with Practice
The Need
The Gap
Evidence of Change
Policies Encourage Preparation on Partnerships
More Is Needed
The Goals
Achieving the Goals
Using This Volume
Setting a Course
Featured Topics for Discussion
Activities and Exercises
Summary
References
2 Theory and Overview
Reading 2.1: Toward a Theory of Family-School Connections: Teacher Practices and Parent Involvement, Joyce L. Epstein
Reading 2.2: Moving Forward: Ideas for Research on School, Family, and Community Partnerships, Joyce L. Epstein and Steven B. Sheldon
Discussion and Activities
3 Research
Reading 3.1: Parent Involvement: A Survey of Teacher Practices,
Henry Jay Becker and Joyce L. Epstein
Reading 3.2: Teachers Reported Practices of Parent Involvement: Problems and Possibilities,
Joyce L. Epstein and Henry Jay Becker
Reading 3.3: School Programs and Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement in Inner-City Elementary and Middle Schools,
Joyce L. Epstein and Susan L. Dauber
Reading 3.4: Parents Reactions to Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement,
Joyce L. Epstein
Reading 3.5: Single Parents and the Schools: Effects of Marital Status on Parent and Teacher Interactions,
Joyce L. Epstein
Reading 3.6: Parents Attitudes and Practices of Involvement in Inner-City Elementary and Middle Schools,
Susan L. Dauber and Joyce L. Epstein
Reading 3.7: Effects on Student Achievement of Teachers Practices of Parent Involvement,
Joyce L. Epstein
Reading 3.8: Homework Practices, Achievements, and Behaviors of Elementary School Students,
Joyce L. Epstein
Reading 3.9: Student Reactions to Teachers Practices of Parent Involvement,
Joyce L. Epstein
Discussion and Activities
Part Two - Applying Research on School, Family, and Community Partnerships
4 Policy Implications
Reading 4.1: Parent Involvement: State Education Agencies Should Lead the Way,
Joyce L. Epstein
Reading 4.2: Sample State and District Policies on School, Family, and Community Partnerships
Reading 4.3: Research Meets Policy and Practice: How Are School Districts Addressing NCLB Requirements for Parental Involvement?,
Joyce L. Epstein
Discussion and Activities
5 A Practical Framework for Developing Comprehensive Partnership Programs
Reading 5.1: School, Family, and Community PartnershipsCaring for the Children We Share,
Joyce L. Epstein
Discussion and Activities
6 Practical Applications: Linking Family and Community Involvement to Student Learning
Reading 6.1: More Than Minutes: Teachers Roles in Designing Homework,
Joyce L. Epstein and Frances L. Van Voorhis
Reading 6.2: Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS): Interactive Homework in Math, Science, and Language Arts,
Joyce L. Epstein
Reading 6.3: Organizing Productive Volunteers in the Middle Grades,
Joyce L. Epstein
Discussion and Activities
7 Strategies for Action in Practice, Policy, and Research
Discussion and Activities
Index