education

Helping Families Understand Curriculum, Goals, and Expectations If we want families and the community to be more involved in our children’s early education, we need to help them understand the nature and purpose of learning standards and how they affect the curriculum as well as the systems in place for achieving accountability to the standards. […]

Barriers and Challenges More From the Field Preschool director and teacher Donna Wilson discusses how educators must confront their biases and preconceived notions of what families should be in order to be comfortable working with all the children and families who enter their classroom. Critical Thinking Questions What are some of your preconceived notions about

Examples of Family Involvement Models Program Description Even Start Federally funded Title I home-based program that promotes family literacy; GED programs, and workforce skills development (over 800 sites). No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Among mandated activities are annual informative meetings for parents; involvement in planning, review, and improvement of schools; opportunities for parent input/suggestions. Head

Family Involvement Models Some programs, especially those funded by the state or federal government, or grants, establish and operate comprehensive family involvement programs with different kinds of features. If you work in a Head Start program, for example, there are clearly defined policies about how teachers and the program will collaborate with families. In a

How would you characterize an “ideal” relationship between the teacher and children’s families? Grassroots Approach Frameworks for collaboration with families typically include some or all of the six types of parent involvement proposed by Joyce Epstein (2001) for the National Network of Partnership Schools initiative: Parent education: Providing information or training about topics important to

Involving Families at School Family involvement models and approaches today aim to achieve what the Reggio Emilia educators call an “amiable school,” envisioning programs that welcome, incorporate, and reflect everyone’s ideasthose of children, families, teachers, and community (Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 1998; Eliason & Jenkins, 2008; Hill, Stremmel, & Fu, 2007). Teachers and families might

How Ecological Theory Plays Out in Family Involvement Programs Sphere of Influence System Features Family Involvement Program Features Microsystem Home and immediate surroundings Develop family-focused services Tailor different kinds of support for moms vs. dads Provide teacher professional development focusing on family systems Mesosystem Relationships among immediate contexts Reduce barriers to family participation Cultivate welcoming

Family Systems Theory Family systems theory describes family dynamics and provides insights about family structures. Teachers and programs can apply their understanding of family systems to develop productive and collaborative relationships. From a family systems perspective, educators recognize that while the families they serve today are increasingly diverse, all have elements in common that may

Understanding Families Two theories in particular are helpful to teachers for understanding the families with which they work: Uri Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological theory (introduced in Chapter 1) and family systems theory (FST), used widely in family therapy settings (Christian, 2007; Fiese, Eckert, & Spagnola, 2006; Grant & Ray, 2010; Hill, Stremmel, & Fu, 2007; Weiss,

Children with Special Needs While all children, families, and teachers benefit from high-quality, ongoing interactions, this dynamic might be considered absolutely essential for children with special needs. In a recent study of nine child-care centers that serve children with disabilities (Bradley & Kibera, 2007), the researchers learned that understanding and attention to family culture was