Parents As Partners In Education

Recent legislation - the 1981 and 1993 Education Acts - have emphasized the need for parents to work as partners with professionals in the assessment of children's special educational needs. This book explores that notion of partnership and subjects it to critical scrutiny. It describes the assessment process from both the parental and professional standpoints, looking in particular at the parent-professional relationship and the barriers that might inhibit effective partnerships between parents and professionals. The child's viewpoint is equally important, and later chapters examine children's own accounts of the assessment process.

Parents as Partners in Education, Eighth Edition, is uniquely the most comprehensive book on the market covering the history of family/school collaboration, current issues and population trends affecting American schools and communities, diverse family structures, and techniques for establishing connections with parents and encouraging involvement with their childês learning. Based on the notion of funds of knowledge, the knowledge that children acquire from their families, this best-selling textbook helps the reader differentiate between culture and diversity as they relate to culturally and linguistically diverse families. This edition, with a new co-author, emphasizes on understanding families' funds of knowledge, discusses culturally relevant pedagogy to work with families and children, particularly those who are English language learners and/or immigrants, and provides an expanded section on working with families who have children with autism. A special focus on culturally and linguistically diverse children with special needs is a remarkable aspect of the book. Key additions and changes to this edition include: more practical ideas and tips for teachers on how to work with culturally and linguistically diverse children and their families in a classroom setting; applicable information on how to build parent involvement programs; strategies for working with culturally diverse students who have Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families; emphasis on the value of pre-school and pre-K programs methods for working with English Language Learners and their families, including a section on second language acquisition. Rooted in the premise that once educators understand the value of families for healthy development they can begin to create strong partnerships to assist children in successful experiences in school. Parents as Partners in Education: Families and Schools Working Together, Eighth Edition will be a key component to teachers gaining this knowledge and using it in the classroom for the betterment of all children and their families.

For courses in Parents/Home-School Relations in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education. Parents as Partners in Education: Families and Schools Working Together, seventh edition, is the most comprehensive book on the market covering the history of parenting and parent/school collaboration, current issues and population trends affecting American schools and communities, diverse family structures, and techniques for establishing a connection with parents and encouraging involvement with their child's learning. Many chapters also feature sample case studies of children. Throughout, students will find useful illustrations, summaries, review questions, and Web links. Following the introductory chapter that provides a rationale for strong family involvement, Chapter 2 provides an overview of population and immigration trends, diverse family structures. Chapter 3 discusses ways to understand the community with which professionals work, cultural diversity, and the diverse ethnic groups that compose American communities. An historical overview of family life and parent involvement follows in Ch. 4. Methods of working with diverse families are covered in Chapters 5-7: effective home-school-community relationships, communication and parent programs, and developing collaborative relationships with parents. Presentation on school-based parent involement programs and home-based parent involvement programs follow in Chapters 8 and 9. The text ends with three chapters on working with parents of a child with disabilities (to understand processes in schools, parents' rights, and laws in special education), child abuse (including bullying and ways to spot and intervene in abuse situations), and children's and parents' rights and advocacy.

This edition highlights the changes in U.S. society and effective ways for teachers and other professionals to understand and work with families. For the last 25 years, we have seen major changes in families. In particular, we have seen an increase in the number of culturally and linguistically diverse families. The beauty of this change reminds us of the diversity of our nation. Learning to work with culturally and linguistically diverse families, as well as those with diverse family structures, requires an understanding of who we are as individuals and educators, and that we acknowledge the values and beliefs that our own families have taught us. - From preface

First Published in 1996. This book forms part of a series that brings together wide-ranging contributions which: offer an assessment of what has been achieved; explore a number of problematic issues and experiences and illustrate developments that are beginning to take shape. It will appeal to those with a special interest in and commitment to home-school work in all its actual and potential facets. This book is intended to be read not only as a single exposition, but also as a practical guide to help professionals get the best out of their partnership with parents, to be referred to as teachers and others approach different aspects of special needs in different cases.

How to build productive relationships in math education I wasn’t taught this way. I can’t help my child! These are common refrains from today’s parents and guardians, who are often overwhelmed, confused, worried, and frustrated about how to best support their children with what they see as the "new math." The problem has been compounded by the shift to more distance learning in response to a global pandemic. Partnering With Parents in Elementary School Math provides educators with long overdue guidance on how to productively partner and communicate with families about their children’s mathematics learning. It includes reproducible surveys, letters, and planning documents that can be used to improve the home-school relationship, which in turn helps students, parents, teachers, and education leaders alike. Readers will find guidance on how to: · Understand and empathize with what fuels parents’ anxieties and concerns · Align as a school and set parents’ expectations about what math instruction their children will experience and how it will help them · Communicate clearly and productively with parents about their students’ progress, strengths, and needs in math · Run informative and fun family events · support homework · Coach parents to portray a productive disposition about math in front of their children Educators, families, and students are best served when proactive, productive, and healthy relationships have been developed with each other and with the realities of today′s math education. This guide shows how these relationships can be built.

Previous edition (9th) entitled Parents as partners in education and entered under: Eugenia Hepworth.