To build partnerships
with parents, the effective teacher utilizes diverse communication strategies. This requires knowledge of one-way compared to
two-way communication strategies (Townsend,
2009; Barbour and Barbour, 2001; Berger, 2000). While one-way communication strategies such
as newsletters, school handbooks, and progress reports, help to keep parents
informed about school activities and policies, effective partnership with
parents requires proficiency with two-way communication strategies. Productive partnership is an outcome of
teachers and parents engaging in a collaborative exchange of ideas that is more
than simply sharing assessment and instruction information (Shapley
& Case, 2004).
Although
numerous teachers seem comfortable effectively building partnership with
parents using little apparent effort, the reality is they mastered the emotional
intelligence skills and are therefore aware of their personal needs in relation
to social dynamics. These teachers
exhibit genuine interest in the parents’ point of view. Therefore, they developed effective
communication strategies and willing use two-way communication skills for building
parental partnerships.
However, most
prospective
teachers need practice in developing skills for building effective parent
partnership. Knowledge of the need is insufficient
to ensure effective practice.
Simulations and multimedia case studies can build the prospective teacher’s
self-efficacy. Research by Walker and
Dotger (2011) identifies the advantages of such a process for optimizing
this essential correlate of Effective
Schools Research.
Institutes of Higher
Education providing teacher preparation programs need to offer this type of
professional development. Otherwise, prospective
teachers enter the classroom ill-prepared for embracing and optimizing the
home-school correlate. Twenty-first
century tools such as avatar simulations and multimedia case studies can also supplement
Graduate
Clinically Rich Teacher Preparation Programs.
Effective dialogue between a teacher and parent include questions
that lead to answers while requiring more questions. Theoretically, a perfect convergent, or closed-ended,
question would have only one answer. By
contrast, a perfect divergent, or open-ended, question would have infinite
answers. The effective teacher seeking
collaborative partnership understands the better question usually is the one that provides
the most answers.
Usually, a change in
school climate is required to optimize the home-school correlate and thereby
forge effective parental partnerships. Effective
leaders plan for teachers needing professional development and encourage utilization
of action research
to improve instruction and classroom assessment (Marzano & Waters, 2008). Scheduled staff collaboration improves
school-wide research practices. Professionals
readily sharing their successful strategies for effective home-school relationships
and willingly conducting action research
optimize life-long learning, which promotes sustained educational improvement.
To cite:
Anderson,
C.J. (April 3, 2013) Building effective partnership with parents. [Web
log post]
Retrieved
from http://www.ucan-cja.blogspot.com/
References:
Barbour, C. & Barbour, N. H. (2001). Families, schools and
communities: Building partnerships
for educating children. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Berger, E. H. (2000). Parents as partners in education. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merrill
Prentice Hall.
Marzano,
R. & Waters, T.(2009). District Leadership That Works. Bloomington,
In: Solution
Tree Press
Shapley, K.L. & Case, B.J. (2004) Building partnerships with parents.
Retrieved from
Sweetland, R, (nd) Ways to classify questions. Retrieved from:
Walker, J.M.T., & Dotger, B. (2012). Because wisdom can’t be told:
Using comparison of
simulated
parent-teacher conferences to support prospective educators’ interpersonal
skill
development.
Journal of Teacher Education 63 (1): 62-75. Retrieved from
