Plan to Promote Parent-Educator Partnerships

Epstein (1995) suggests that each school should take the following steps to promote parent-educator partnerships:

• Create an action team. This team consists of parents, teachers, administrators, and students. "The action team takes responsibility for assessing present practices, organizing options for new partnerships, implementing selected activities, evaluating next steps, and continuing to improve and coordinate practices..." (p. 708).

• Obtain funds and other support. Funds may be available from "federal, state, and local programs that mandate, request, or support family involvement, such as Title I, Title II, Title VII, Goals 2000, and other federal and similar state funding programs" (p. 708). Support from "the principal and district leaders [is necessary] to allow time for team members to meet, plan, and conduct the activities that are selected for each type of involvement" (p. 708).

• Identify starting points. The action team needs to address strengths of the present partnership, needed changes, expectations, a sense of the community, and links to goals.

• Develop a three-year plan. "The three-year outline shows how all school/family/community connections will be integrated into one coherent program of partnership that includes activities for the whole school community, activities to meet the special needs of children and families, activities to link to the district committees and councils, and activities conducted in each grade level" (p. 708).

• Continue planning and working. "Each year, the action team updates the school's three-year outline and develops a detailed one-year plan for the coming year's work" (p. 708).

For more information on how schools can promote parent-teacher partnerships, refer to Parent Involvement by Beth Gamse, chapter 9 of the report Special Strategies for Educating Disadvantaged Children (U.S. Department of Education, 1994).

References