Fostering Parent-Teacher Collaboration in the Classroom

Techniques, May 2009 by Emeagwali, N Susan

A SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS AND PARENTS IS INTEGRAL TO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. This partnership should involve more that just the routine parent-teacher conference; it should be a partnership that is ongoing, consistent and collaborative. A study last year in the Journal of Human Resources found out just how much parental involvement correlates to student success. The authors of "Parental Effort, School Resources, and Student Achievement" were able to answer resoundingly that parental involvement does positively impact student performance, adding that schools would have to increase per-pupil spending in order to make up for a lack of parental effort.

"The value-added, studentachievement production functions we estimate provide a resounding yes; parental effort is consistently associated with higher levels of achievement. The magnitude of the effect of parental effort is also substantial - along the order of an additional four to six years of parental education or more than $1,000 in perpupil spending," the study noted.

It is noteworthy that the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress found that between elementary and middle school parental involvement diminished. This is all the more reason to find ways to strengthen relationships between educators, schools and parents so that parents remain engaged in the educational process. While there's no doubt that promoting good working relationships between teachers and parents is important, building such partnerships can sometimes be challenging. In fact a 2005 Harvard Graduate School of Education report found that the stress of dealing with difficult parents is one of the top reasons that teachers leave the profession. In addition, The 2005 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher found that new teachers cited communicating with parents as their number one challenge.

The U.S. Department of Education's "Survival Guide for New Teachers" gives tips on what educators can do to promote good relationships with parents. Among them:

* Contact parents early on and before a problem occurs.

* Write a weekly newsletter or report on classroom learning and activities.

* Let parents know how they can reinforce classroom learning at home. (The guide suggests teachers have parents sign a contract requiring them to make children complete homework and other home learning activities.)

* Address parents' concerns head-on

* Hold a meeting with parents the first month of the school year to discuss your expectations for student achievement and behavior (leave time for any questions they may have).

While educators must do their part to foster their relationships with parents, this success does not happen in a vacuum. Schools too must employ strategies to forge and strengthen partnerships with parents. The National Network of Partnership Schools at John Hopkins University developed a framework to guide schools in their efforts to do so:

* Help families with their parenting skills so that children's home lives support their education.

* Effectively provide information to families about school programs and student progress.

* Organize volunteer opportunities for families to support the school and students.

* Encourage families to get involved in their children's learning activities at home, such as helping them with homework.

* Include families in the school's decision-making processes.

* Get the community involved in the school, and the school involved in the community.

With persistence, patience and an end goal in mind, schools, educators and parents can effectively work together to promote positive student outcomes.

N. Susan Emeagwali is managing editor of Techniques magazine. She can be contacted at semeagwali@acteonline.org.