Serious work of
learning depends on strong family-school partnerships
In
a quiet corner of the kitchen table a child spreads out her homework,
books, and projects. Family life swirls around her. A parent, grandparent,
or uncle close by ready to give an assuring smile, offer a glass of
milk, or answer a question. The serious work of learning is happening
here. It's valued and respected by family members, talked about at mealtimes,
and woven into the rhythms and rituals of daily life.
The
serious work of learning begins early and lasts... well, forever. When
children are very young, it's being held close in a parent's lap to
read a picture book or tell a favorite story, asking each other, "What's
going to happen next?" For toddlers, learning is creative play; it's
exploring the natural world on a walk around the block with a dad who
days, "Look at this leaf!" For adolescents, their families and communities
support the serious work of learning by helping them to discover their
passionate interests and abilities, to preserve when tasks are difficult
or times are trying, and to reach out for help form teachers and other
caring adults.
There
are all kinds of ways that parents and teachers can work together to
help children learn, but the partnership must rest on the bedrock of
mutual respect and unified approach. This "Seeds of Promise" report
looks at a variety and scope of family-school partnerships, and directs
our attention to recent research, best practices, and community wisdom.
With
a generous grant from the Danforth Foundation, the University of Minnesota's
Children, Youth &Family Consortium (CYFC) spent the past two years leading
a university-community-school initiative to improve learning outcomes
for children. We focused our attention on St. Paul and Minneapolis neighborhoods
where family mobility, concentrated poverty, and low test scores made
school success a particular challenge. "Help us connect families and
schools in ways that are meaningful, significant and sustainable" was
the plea from parents and teachers alike.
Many
of the lesson learned through the Danforth initiative cluster around
the infrastructure, staffing and commitment it takes for schools to
advance family partnerships beyond bake sales and school events. Successful
family-school partnerships actively engage families in the learning
process of their child by forming relationships with teachers, staff,
principals, family liaisons, and other parents.
Creating
and sustaining these relationships is an enormous take for any school.
While relationship building is often the primary responsibility of family-school
liaisons or family involvement coordinators, It must be on the job description
of everyone who works at the school. In order to create an infrastructure
to support family-school partnerships there must be strong leadership
from the principal or school leadership team. Such leadership creates
an atmosphere in which relationships are valued over systems and teachers
and staff are given discretion and flexibility to do what needs to be
done to engage families as essential partners in their child's learning.
We
want to thank families, teachers, community program directors, and researchers
who contributed to this report. We want to acknowledge and celebrate
that teaching and learning that goes on every day in homes and schools
and everywhere children are loved and cared for as "seeds of promise."
