The role of family literacy classes in demystifying school literacies and developing closer parent–school relations

This paper is based on a large study of family literacy provision in England, which was carried out between July 2013 and May 2015. It explored the impact of classes on parents’ relations with the school and their children, and their ability to support their children’s literacy development. The study involved 27 school-based programmes for pupils aged between five and seven, and their parents. It used mixed methods, which involved surveys of 118 parents and 20 family literacy tutors, telephone interviews with a sub-sample of 28 parents, analysis of teaching plans and observations of classes. Findings showed that parents wanted to learn the ways the school was teaching their child to read and write, and by demystifying school literacy pedagogies and processes the programmes developed greater connectivity between home and the school, and parents felt more able to support their children’s literacy development at home.     

Dyslexia‐friendly schools and parent partnership: inclusion and home–school relationships

This paper summarizes an action research project in five local areas in the south‐west of England which aimed to support parents of children with dyslexic difficulties who were experiencing problems in obtaining appropriate provision in mainstream schools. It was based on the importance of effective parental partnership and quality inclusive practice for children having dyslexic difficulties. A development officer worked over two years in the five participating LEAs that were selected to represent a range of professional practice with a mix of urban and rural populations. As part of the evaluation, the authors also examined longitudinally the educational experiences of a sample of parents. The paper includes a conceptual framework of parental agency in this field in terms of knowledge, identity and parental strategies, and the conditions under which parents escalate their strategies to secure appropriate provision for their children. The support provided by the development officer is analysed in terms of the kinds of support requests received, the kinds of support offered and qualitative evidence of the impact of this support. This research is theorized in terms of current ideas about parent‐partnership and theories about parent–teacher relations in terms of the diversity of parents. It highlights the significance of thinking about inclusive schooling and parent–school relations in terms of the interconnections between general systems for all, for those with special educational needs and those with specific difficulties. The policy and practice implications are interpreted in terms of the importance of a system of extended professionalism, which is inclusive of parents with learning difficulties and disabilities.     

Advancing opportunities for children’s informal STEM learning transfer through parent–child narrative reflection

This study examined whether families’ conversational reflections after a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)-related experience in a museum promoted learning transfer. 63 children (M = 6.93 years; 30 girls; 57% White, 17.5% Latinx, 8% Asian, 5% African American, 9.5% mixed, 3% missing race/ethnicity) and their parents received an engineering demonstration, engaged in a building activity, and either recorded a photo-narrative reflection about their building experience or not at the museum. Thirty-six of these families completed a building activity with different materials weeks later at home, and the majority (77%) evidenced learning transfer of the building principle demonstrated at the museum. Those who participated in the photo-narrative reflection at the museum also showed learning transfer by talking more about STEM during the home building activity.     

Fostering effective and sustainable home–school relations with migrant worker parents: a new story to tell?

Current government policy, which calls for closer working relationships with families, together with the escalation of globalised communities places mounting pressure on teachers to take account of increasingly diverse family values, traditions and parenting styles. Considering the disproportionate number of minority ethnic children facing educational underachievement in the UK, one could argue practitioners take up this challenge. In view of increased European migration, this paper considers factors which remain the key to enabling migrant worker parents to establish and sustain effective links with their child’s school. After decades of research and government reports, how far we have come to ensuring that all families are enabled to become involved in their children’s schooling? The findings, which stem from a broader qualitative study, are largely presented through three collective vignettes which represent the voices, and different experiences, encountered by nine migrant worker parents. Factors identified as having significance to home–school relations include language barriers, issues associated with changing family structures, and community relations.     

Pupil participation and the home–school relationship

Schools are required to develop policies and practices in line with the principles of both partnership with parents and pupil participation. However, there is increasing recognition of the potential tensions that may exist between these two principles. This paper reports on a study that aimed to explore the question of how schools might develop their home–school relationships in ways that enhance rather than constrain pupil participation. It focuses on the perspectives of children aged 6 to 16 years (with and without special educational needs), parents and teachers concerning children's involvement in decision-making at home and at school, and their participation within the home–school relationship. The findings highlight the need for schools to develop a coherent view of what active participation means for children and a vocabulary to communicate about this not only with pupils and staff across the whole school, but also with parents. They demonstrate that there is scope for two-way support between parents and teachers in relation to the promotion of children's involvement in decision-making both at home and at school. Further, they illustrate the complex and evolving three-way partnership between parent–child–teacher that is central to the home–school relationship. While it is acknowledged that children may rightly wish to keep a distance between aspects of home and school life, it is argued that there is a need for schools to give explicit consideration to the place of pupil participation within the home–school relationship.     

Identification with early primary school mathematics: a home–school activity theory conceptualisation and methodology

This paper offers a new methodology for researching children’s identifications in the early primary phase that makes visible the ‘seeds’ of academic dis-/identities, which typically flower later in adolescence. It focuses on the ‘case’ of mathematical identifications (MI) to exemplify how children come to dis/identify from the academic curriculum more broadly. MI is defined as any act where cultural representations of being mathematical are reflected back on to the child by others or the self, as they engage in mathematical activity. Data are presented concerning Bilal and Nico to show identifications in a hybrid home–school mathematics activity that contradict or ‘align’ with MI elicited in school-mathematical activity. It is argued that contradictions between these MIs indicate ‘potential’ development towards disengagement (the case of Nico). This contrasts with home–school alignment involving Bilal’s ‘schoolified’ home activities, which (re)validate school-mathematical activity. It is further argued that this conceptual innovation offers potential for investigating identity in early childhood.     

Improving primary school practice and school–college linkage in Ethiopia through collaborative action research

In Ethiopia, as elsewhere in the world, action research is recognized as a valuable and cost-effective form of inquiry to improve classroom and school practices. It has been given due consideration, both by the Ministry of Education and teacher education institutes of the country. Nevertheless, studies conducted on the practice of action research unanimously reported that, due to many factors, its status in the country’s education system is at its lowest stage. One of the factors for this problem is lack of adequate knowledge, skills and dispositions essential for action research. Hence, this action research project was initiated and implemented collaboratively between one teacher educator and school teachers working in a nearby primary school (in Debre Markos, Ethiopia). After a tiresome implementation of selected action strategies, for more than six months in four different phases, the project was found to be helpful in enhancing the practitioners’ knowledge skills and confidence of action research. The project was also found to be important in improving the action research practice of the school. Our evaluation of the project also implied that collaborative action research, if properly and wholeheartedly conducted, is an effective strategy in strengthening school–college linkage that ultimately helps each institution to learn and benefit from the other.     

Emotional geographies of teacher–parent relations: three teachers’ perceptions in Taiwan

This article attempts to use Andy Hargreaves’ theoretical framework of emotional geographies to analyze teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with parents in Taiwan. Based on the qualitative interviews with three primary teachers, the research findings show that teachers’ emotional distances from parents were intertwined with parents’ sociocultural status, teachers’ moral purposes, teachers’ notions of professionalism, teachers’ political pretense, and the frequency to contact parents. Thus, Hargreaves’ framework could be a useful tool to explore teacher–parent interactions. The paper closes with suggestions for policy considerations.     

Parent preferences and parent choices: the public–private decision about school choice

School choice survey data from the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, a large county‐wide school district, is analysed to examine the characteristics of parents who consider choosing private schools for their children and those who do not. We examine differences in background, including race, educational attainment and socioeconomic status, as well as differences in parent satisfaction with their child’s previous school, parent involvement in school, parents’ priorities in school choice, as well as parents’ social networks. After controlling for background characteristics, we find that parent satisfaction with their child’s previous school was not a predictor of considering a private school. Rather, parent involvement seems to be a more important indicator of whether or not a parent would consider sending their child to a private school. In this case, parents are not ‘pushed’ away from public schools, contrary to much public rhetoric that suggests private schools are somehow inherently ‘better’ than public schools and parents who are dissatisfied with their public schools will opt for private schools. Instead, these findings suggest a ‘pull’ towards private schools. Parents may perceive that parent involvement and parent communication are more easily facilitated and valued in private schools.     

The home–school interface in religious and moral formation: the Irish case

With the student body across Europe becoming more diverse, the issue of religious education in schools has come to receive greater attention. In the context of the specific historical and institutional context of the Irish primary educational system, this paper addresses aspects of the religious and moral formation of primary school children. The methodology employed in this study is qualitative: it is based on in-depth interviews with school principals, teachers and parents, and focus groups with students in five case-study schools. The paper examines the role of both home and school in the development of religious and secular beliefs. It also examines the way children are active agents in their own moral development, specifically how they mediate and interpret three sets of influences, namely formal school-based religious instruction, the broader school climate, and the implicit values and beliefs communicated by school, parents and the wider family.     

Preparing pre-service teachers for home–school cooperation: exploring Finnish teacher education programmes

Abstract

Cooperation between home and school benefits pupils’ wellbeing in many ways. Hence, it is of utmost importance that teachers are able to cooperate with families in early childhood education as well as in primary and secondary education. In order to work effectively with the diversity of families, teachers need to develop their skills and knowledge while in teacher education programmes. Earlier research has suggested that teacher education programmes do not address this issue adequately. In this article, programme managers in Finnish teacher education programmes are asked to reflect on how cooperation is covered in their programmes. Based on the data, collected through an online survey, home–school cooperation can be considered an integral part of teacher training: most of the programmes surveyed offered modules that concentrated either solely on the issue or as part of other modules. Cooperation was also discussed from various perspectives during the modules. Respondents considered their graduates to be either competent or somewhat competent to cooperate with families. According to programme managers, modules should be developed in relation to strengthening the theoretical basis of cooperation, and especially in enabling pre-service teachers to practise their skills in cooperation while they are having their practical training at schools.     

Imaginary subjects: school science,indigenous students,and knowledge–power relations

The perspectives of indigenous science learners in developed nations offer an important but frequently overlooked dimension to debates about the nature of science, the science curriculum, and calls from educators to make school science more culturally responsive or ‘relevant’ to students from indigenous or minority groups. In this paper the findings of a study conducted with indigenous Maori children between the ages of 10 and 12 years are discussed. The purpose of the study was to examine the ways that indigenous children in an urban school environment in New Zealand position themselves in relation to school science. Drawing on the work of Basil Bernstein, we argue that although the interplay between emergent cultural identity narratives and the formation of ‘science selves’ is not as yet fully understood, it carries the potential to open a rich seam of learning for indigenous children.     

Behavior contracts: A home‐school cooperative effort

CHILDREN OF NASHVILLE by Sarah Foster Kelley. Nashville, Tennessee: Blue and Gray Press, 1973. x + 447 pp. $16.50.

EMERGING PATTERNS OF ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOUNTABILITY compiled and edited by Lesley H. Browder, Jr. Berkeley, California: McCutchan Publishing Corporation, 1971. vi + 571 pp. $9.75.

INCREASING THE OPTIONS: Recent Developments in College and University Degree Programs by John R. Valley. New York: College Entrance Examination Board, Office of New Degree Programs, 1972. 56 pp. $2.50.

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY LAW by Alexander and Erwin S. Solomon. Charlottesville, Virginia: The Michie Company, 1972. xxvi + 776 pp. $16.00.

PERSPECTIVES ON SECONDARY MATHEMATICS EDUCATION edited by Jerry A. McIntosh. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1971. 259 pp. $3.95.

SCHOLARS AND STATESMEN by Kenneth H. Ashworth. San Francisco: Jossey‐Bass Inc., Publishers, 1972. xiv + 160 pp. $7.75.

LEARNING TO BE: THE WORLD OF EDUCATION TODAY AND TOMORROW. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. New York: UNIPUB, INC., 1972. 313 pp. $6.00.

ART EDUCATION: AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY by UNESCO. New York: UNIPUB, INC., 1972. 109 pp. $9.00.     

Learning grammar through singing? An intervention with EFL primary school learners

Singing has been advocated as an efficient supplementary strategy in language teaching, but little is known about its effect on grammar learning. We conducted an intervention study (five lessons) with primary EFL learners (N = 57, mean age = 8.67, SD = 0.60) who were taught new vocabulary and grammar through either singing or speaking lyrics. The control group had new vocabulary introduced during regular lessons. Language gains were assessed through pre-, post-, and follow-up tests; affect was measured after each lesson. Students in the singing group showed similar vocabulary gains to students in the control group and larger gains than students in the speaking group. Importantly, singing students outperformed both groups on spelling and grammar learning. Positive affect was similar across intervention groups, but only the singing group showed significantly enhanced positive affect compared to the control group. Overall, results indicate a potential benefit of singing for grammar learning.     

Why go to school? Student,parent and teacher beliefs about the purposes of schooling

This qualitative study explored the beliefs of students, parents and teachers on the purposes of schooling in order to provide a context for understanding beliefs and attitudes to school learning and achievement. Focus groups were conducted with Year 9 and 10 students (aged 13–15 years) and parents and teachers in three secondary schools in different socio-economic areas in an urban district. Four categories were identified in relation to beliefs about the purposes of schooling: (1) to learn and gain self-knowledge; (2) to develop life and social skills; (3) to optimize life chances and quality of life; (4) to enable future employment and economic wellbeing. Comparisons revealed that students, parents and teachers all believed in the learning purpose of schooling, but did not all endorse an economic purpose. Students had the broadest views on school purposes. The greatest alignment between views was found for students and parents. The greatest difference between groups was found for students and teachers from high socio-economic area schools. Findings were considered in relation to national curriculum aims and external pressures from globalization. Overall, findings are conducive to a lifelong learning approach, pointing to belief in the intrinsic value of school learning independent of any economic function it may serve.     

Advancing knowledge of the teaching profession through web‐based assignments

Abstract

An Introduction to Teaching course was strategically developed to allow university students of many backgrounds to access, synthesize, and evaluate the teaching profession as a possible career. The authors planned a multi‐layered course that included Web‐based assignments, required and suggested readings, targeted writing assignments, and field experiences. In this study, student perceptions of the usefulness and effectiveness of the Web‐based assignments were investigated.

A survey was administered to 92 students across three course sections. Most students (85%) were positive about Web‐based research, despite some difficulty with completing the assignments. Reasons for their difficulty included lack of knowledge, incompatible software, and outdated address information. Students reported that the Web‐based assignments were one effective way to learn about the teaching profession but that more contextual projects, such as field work and writing ethnographies, were more powerful learning took. The authors examined the construction of the course for possible reasons for this perception and suggested ways to enliven the Web assignments to make them more interactive.     

Questioning honor: a parent–teacher conflict over excellence and diversity in a USA urban high school

Parent–teacher relations are often characterized as highly conflictual in the educational literature, with scant empirical evidence of how the disagreements occur in everyday talk. Close analysis of a teacher's account of an intense conflict with a student's mother over the National Honor Society grounds the abstract discourses of merit and difference in the worlds of parents, teachers and students. Narrating primarily through reported speech, in a ‘she said, I said’ fashion, the teacher recreates her conversations about the National Honor Society and the graduation ceremony. Creating the social milieu through reported speech and the inner reality by telling what she left unspoken, she captures the derision between parents and teachers. Moreover, the adult struggles obscure the adolescents' initial concerns about elitism. Exposed to reform debates, the teacher reveals her consciousness about diversity and privilege. The mother's understanding reflects traditions of individualism and meritocracy without regard to barriers created by race, sex, class and disability. The encounter ends without opportunity for fuller articulation. Notwithstanding these tendencies, the individual parent–teacher conference remains the most widely employed format in US schools, emblematic of an extremely privatized notion of that relationship. The author frames the conflict in terms of school community and public education at large to identify possibilities for more generative communication.     

Home–school relationships: a school management perspective

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in the process of initiating major education reform designed to improve schools. Parental involvement in support of student learning ranks high on the reform agenda. This study explores managerial aspects of implementing home–school relationships in seven primary Public Private Partnership (PPP) schools in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Participants involved in this study were principals, social workers, teachers, parents, and students. Managerial aspects discussed in this paper relate to: (a) benefits of home–school relationships; (b) roles and responsibilities of stakeholders; (c) home–school communication; and (d) constraints and challenges faced in the management of home–school relationships. The findings elicit recommendations for improvement which may inform the work of policymakers, principals, social workers, teachers and parents in their continued efforts to build home–school relationships.     

Leading professional learning in an Australian secondary school through school‐university partnerships

As the limitations of one‐off and disconnected professional learning programs for teachers are recognised, there is widespread interest in building learning communities and professional learning teams within schools. When considering how to build local learning communities, school and university partnerships are seen as offering rich possibilities for transformative professional action. Set in the context of the international agenda of “Education For All” (UNESCO, 2005 UNESCO. (2005). Education for all: Global monitoring project. Retrieved January 8, 2007, from http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php‐URL_ID=36004&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html (http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=36004&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html)  [Google Scholar]) a model of sustained on‐going professional learning, developed in one large secondary school in Australia, is analysed. The social practices that generate action and participation for partnership members are then scrutinised for the legitimacy of school‐university partnerships and the contribution to enhancing teacher learning.