Partnership with parents Essay

In recent years, an array of legislation and guidance has emerged under the register new Labour government to bring together a co-ordinated good example of services to address the c ar and educational aims of minorren. The government has evince its intention, DfES (1997) and DfES (2003) to place educates at the heart of a new multidisciplinary approach to pip-squeakrens services with imbibe developd communication and consultation between domesticates, together with untimely(a) service leave aloners, and p bents, as one of its principle aims.M solely commentators much(prenominal) as Nind et al (2003) Williams (2004) and Berk (2004) have storied the importance of pargonnts as the prime educators of their sisterren and the resultant government agency of establishing successful coalitions between schools and p atomic yield 18nts has been addressed by a number of distinct perspectives. It checkerms that the strategies employed to overcome restrictions and publi c figure constructive descents mustiness be placed in spite of appearance a school ethos of genuine inclusion body which values p arents beguiles and persona which, in turn, dismiss only enhance childrens attitudes to cultivation. Effective school collaborative education stimulates and imbues children with a dictatorial(p) lovingisation of learning.Brooker (2002) and Mayall (2002) have noted the modal values in which children, and parents, are utilely socialised into the pedagogical ethos of their childs school and suggest that parents conformity to this ethos has commonly underpinned many models of paternal inter-group communication. As Brooker (2002) argues, an open door policy which ostensibly invites parents in to see schoolroom practice and consult with module does not necessarily correspond a climate conducive to genuine collabo balancen in the educative unconscious process.The research presented by Brooker (2002), whilst focusing primarily upon early year s learning cultures, has pop the questiond some put onful insights into the ways schools conceptualise their relationships with families and, conversely, how parents experience schools. She erect that, from early on childrens schooling, school staff attitudes towards parents were mettlesomely limitd by their admit perceptions of the extent to which parents expressed their interest in, and became involved with their childrens education.Brooker (2002) identifies a broad(a) gulf between the beliefs and values of formal educators and what she calls the mountain of invisible coronationmade by parents. She cites the work of Vincent (1996), for example, highlighting the negative perceptions of parents by teachers and suggests that, natively, teachers hightail it only to welcome the involvement of those parents who do not contest school policies and practices or undermine their authority.In similar vein, Beveridge (2004) asserts that teachers attitudes digest often be negative an d stereotypical regarding agnatic motivation, competence and skills in the educative commonwealth and furthermore, parents are often aware of this and are adversely affected. She suggests that parents experiences of schools and school staff go out inevitably be enhanced when they feel respected in their avow right as parents, and evenly importantly, when they perceive that their child is a positively valued member of the school (Beveridge, 2004). Congruently the more involved parents are in what goes on in the classroom the more likely they are to understand the teachers goals and practices.Warren and three-year-old (2002) identify volt broad areas presenting barriers to forming theater-school federations. Firstly the ever-changing fluid nature of family demographics impinges on the phylogeny of dynamic partnerships. Secondly an entrenched school ethos often creates barriers to effective culture-change and schools are too set in their ways to hide parental involvement in affairs of plan, decision-making and administration. Thirdly, the financial burden of developing partnerships with parents is a strain some schools feel fecesnot be justified and resources need to be channelled into more pressing areas and some teachers are unable to relinquish any degree of control to parents in the classroom.Fourthly, parents whitethorn drop the necessary skills to service their childrens educational development. Finally, communication is a pivotal building ram of base-school partnerships and critics often point to the unequal relationship between schools and families in this area communication is one-way traffic from the school to the parent and at that place is not enough thought or dialogue given to the way parents after part provide input to the school or childrens learning. The development of partnerships between class and schools with the mutual acknowledgement of the diverse but essential percentages of the other is not an easily accomplished tas k but incomplete is it an impossible task.School staff attitudes, and indeed school ethos, seem underlying to the quality of relationships that underside be developed with parents (Beveridge, 2004). Research conducted by Bastiani (1992) and Coleman (1998) ground that whilst parents commonly expressed their need for knowledge astir(predicate) the progress, attainments and possible difficulties regarding their childrens schooling, they as considerably wanted reassurance that school staff understood their childs individual(prenominal) and social needs, as well as their schoolman needs. Beveridge (2004) extends this regard and draws from her own research into parents views, suggesting that teachers need to acquire the skills to elicit and respond to parents own in-depth knowledge, perspectives and insights intimately their childrens needs. This implies that teachers should be equipped with a high level of sensitivity and interpersonal skill vis--vis the parental perspective so that they whitethorn provide honest, percipient and accurate information to the highest degree the learning and conduct of individual children at school.Hornby et al (1995) and Hornby (2000) reiterate this point and argue for an character reference of teachers skills to incorporate the principles, drawn from the counselling arena, of prompt, non-judgemental listening and joint problem-solving techniques. Hornby (2000), for example, calls for skilled assertiveness that allows teachers to be both direct and diplomatic in their interactions with parents, and to respond constructively to disagreements and criticisms when these occurHornby (2000) argues for a reciprocal, inclusive framework of rest home-school links within which every family has a place, not just those few whose own culture and practices are in line with those of the school. Parents knowledge of their children, together with the contribution they can derive to teaching, is seen as strengths universal to all fa milies.Hornby (2000) and Nind et al (2003) argue it should likewise be recognised, however, that parents have different levels of need in term of information and maintain. Beveridge (2004) agrees that parents accumulated, in-depth knowledge about their children can niftyly enhance teachers agreements. In her word of parental involvement in the monitoring and assessment of childrens academic progress, Beveridge stresses that teachers need to accommodate areas of comparative strength and ways in which these can be built upon, rather than a resole focus on difficulties and deficits. Whilst Beveridge is primarily discussing those children deemed as having special educational needs here, this observation equally wellapplies to the assessment of all childrens progress. Although it seems clear that discrepancies inevitably testamenting exist between the views of parents and teachers, a striving for mutual understanding and a greater accentuation on the positives can do much to d evelop positive attitudes for both parents and children.The current Head Teacher of Sacred nervus Catholic Primary School Mr Mullan stressed the purpose of the home-school partnership in terms of making an agreement between the school, the family and the student which will stand by parents staff and students to work successfully together and help improve standards of education for pupils. This is done finished a variety of ways ranging from veritable(a) homework for parents to complete with their children and for pupils with learning difficulties a variety of visual and auditive activities are sent home. Each term targets are set for the pupils and parents are sent copies to help them keep up learning, an example cited was the suggestion parents allow their children to postponement money and pay for the weekly shop to help increase their understanding of money in relation to maths.Pupils also have a home school communication book. The school runs workshops throughout the acade mic year to help parents participate in their childs education and have include in the past Sing-along training or Literacy and ICT workshops. The school also places great emphasis on parental help in the education process in the form of parental class assistants. The school takes great overcharge in the fact several parents have gone on to plan a career as a teacher after starting line out as class assistants. The Head Teacher stressed the partnership revolved near good lines of communication between both parties.In the arena of parent/teacher consultations, Bastiani (1992) identified particular pre-requisites for success in ensuring that both parties are heard. Firstly, she suggests that parents must have sufficient information about the nature, purpose and length of the convened meeting and an opportunity to clarify and add items to the agenda. Secondly, a constructive focus needs to be established and decisions on later(prenominal) actions to be taken understood and agreed by all role players. It must be recognised that some parents will require more prolong in these matters than others.Finally, as highlighted by DfES (1997), schools need to forecast carefully the err of opportunities they can provide for parents to become involved and also the forms of assistance that faculty be needed to enable parents to participate fully.Tizard et al (1981) Hannon (1985) Mills (1996) and Beveridge (2004) are keen to stress in that respect is much evidence for the effectiveness of well-planned schemes of parental involvement in the teaching of reading. Moreover Mills (1996) highlights the crucial role that parents can play in developing literacy skills with their children, pointing out that the one-to-one relationship is clearly more valuable to the child than the 30 to one ratio typical in the average classroom. Mills (1996) suggests that simply sending books home is insufficient but also notes that parents may sometimes need support and advice about effecti ve models of hearing their children read. As Warren and Young (2002) succinctly advocate grant instructional materials and teaching methodologies should be utilized.Gregory (2000) echoes this view and expresses concerns that traditional schemes may not be suitable for all families. She recommends that schools consider different approaches which might better fit the needs of families. For example, a sole focus on story books might be extended, or replaced, by making use of other kinds of literacy experiences at home and also to include other members of the family and companionship. The aim here is not simply to follow the schools approach to literacy, and indeed other curriculum goals and activities, but to build bridges between home and school. Such home-school partnership arrangements may foster literacy erudition but it has to be noted this founds inherent presuppositions about the abilities of parents from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures to support the literacy develo pment of their children. Not all parents experience the motivation let alone the cognitive ability to enhance the literacy acquisition of their children.Warren and Young (2002) draw attention to the importance parental involvement plays in boosting positive learning attitudes amongst children in Mathematics, Science and Technology because academic learning activitiesthat are completed at home promote the childs achievement at school and this further impacts on a positive learning culture as parent and child attitudes about school become more positive through academic interactions. Parents who embrace an unrestrained joy for a particular area of the study curriculum and who transmit such infectious enthusiasm to their children need to be harness by schools. This is what Freud (1991) terms projection or the transference of an emotion or character trait onto another person. Parents who project positive learning attitudes onto their children need to be nurtured by schools because they help foster an intrinsic motivation within children to learn for the sheer pleasure of it.Recent government initiatives such as Every churl Matters and Higher Standards, Better Schools for All More select for Parents and Pupils has urged schools to be a more socially cohesive and responsible participant in community relations as well as boost closer home-school partnerships. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is at the nous of facilitating this challenge and connecting home and school through an array of initiatives. Firstly it offers social unitsale opportunities for children by providing continuity of learning outside regular school hours and parents provide appropriate mentoring, challenge and support. This presupposes the ICT infrastructure within schools can cope with the fast growth of collaborative learning and schools need to formulate cohesive and appropriate e-learning strategies.Secondly it empowers parents to support their childrens learning vis--vi s responsibility, informed choice and appropriate support. Impact on the engagement of parents can be profound through skilful use of a schools website or realistic learning environment to suggest how parents can supplement and support the national curriculum. There is the scope for wider engagement as long as ICT is use in a meaningful way. It has benefits for both parents and schools parental participation will increase if they are given a real voice which in turn provides schools with raw data on how best to serve the interests of its pupils and their parents.Thirdly, the home environment is a hub of learning powered by the dynamics ofthe internet and schools can provide valuable advice and guidance to parents on the use of ICT to support pupil learning outside the classroom. Some schools have set up homework clinics and utilize parents as on-line experts to bring together the racy tapestry of ICT and parental resources in educating children. Again this presupposes parents hav e a unsounded and intimate relationship with ICT skills and such skills have to be framed around legitimate data protection issues.Finally, it acts as a focus for a culture of learning within the community as a whole but this almost presents more challenges than rewards. For instance, should the level and location of remote vex be fixed or mobile or perhaps a combination of both, what are the logistics of this and what are the financial costs of such access, how can secure and safe access to personal work files be guaranteed, how can genuine collaborative engagement with other learners be rendered, how do parents try and respond to the assessment of their childrens e-learning and how and who will provide appropriate parental training to enable them to fully support ICT home-school practice. Nevertheless a modern ICT home-school partnership offers up an abundance of resources outside the skirt of traditional teaching methodology and offers substantial potential for fostering posi tive learning attitudes amongst children.Mills (1996) has recorded that whilst many schools have developed hefty home/school links with parents, especially through reading schemes, on that point has been less success in nonage language communities and suggests that schools have found that cultural and linguistic differences have created barriers to collaboration and this has impacted negatively upon childrens academic progress and motivation at school. Similarly, Berk (2004) observes that many ethnic minority parents are uncomfortable about going to school and often lack the skills, knowledge and confidence to support their childrens progress in mass culture language work. Ofsted (2000) claims black and ethnic minority pupils are disadvantaged by an education system that perpetuates inequalities. This then creates a barrier to fostering sufficient levels of parental involvement amongst ethnic minorities.Mills (1996) describes the experiences of Asiatic parents in Birmingham, mos t particularly those from Pakistani, Northern India and Bangladeshi cultures. Evidence from initiatives in two Birmingham primary schools to foster home-school links yielded a number of recommendations for schools in minority language communities.These include the development of books and information in a variety of local languages as well as the use of multicultural materials and activities within the school for all pupils to generate an atmosphere of greater understanding and inclusion for all children, regardless of cultural background. Most importantly, as Mills (1996) asserts, parents need to feel positively welcomed by the school through the creation of a genuinely open environment. Berk (2004) underlines this view and suggests that teachers must make extra efforts to integrate ethnic minority values and practices into classroom look and on a regular basis contact parents who dont come to conferences and school events. numerous commentators have situated the notion of partner ship between schools, parents and the community within the wider context of school ethos and inclusive practice. Dyson (1997), for example, has observed that many of the educational difficulties experient by children, such as disaffection, disruption and underachievement are associated with social disadvantage. Croll (2002) underlines this and highlights the clear links, also, between parental socio-economic status and social, emotional and behavioural problems, as well as the learning difficulties which come under the banner of special educational needs. Parents experience of high levels of stress, perhaps in poorer, run-down neighbourhoods, can adversely affect not only their interactions with their children but also their transaction with education and related services (Beveridge, 2004).Teachers may hold stereotypical, negative views of such families which impede the quality of home-school relationships. Bastiani (1997) points out the increasing recognition that there is a dive rsity of successful parenting styles and that teachers can acknowledge this and adopt a more positive approach which builds on parents own strategies for raising their children. bullock block (1998) and White (1997) have reported on successful Portage schemes for parents of children with learning difficulties involving short-term learningtargets agreed with parents. Beveridge (2004), however, highlights the potential stigmatising effects of these schemes when they are limited to families with children deemed as having special educational needs and argues that these specific strategies should be available for all families.The current push for schools to be placed at the centre of the community (DfES, 2003) has been championed by Berk (2004) as a prime opportunity to nurture the collaborative work of teachers, parents and children. She cites Connors and Epstein (1996) who argued that when parents are involved in school activities, talk regularly with teachers, monitor their childs pr ogress and help with homework, children show better academic achievement (Berk, 2004, p.206). It seems that the strategies adopted by schools to establish well-set home/school links must be situated within the wider educational ethos and practice of the school in order to be truly effective. Factors such as co-operative dialogues, joint problem-solving, staff training and support are flagged up as key objectives for the whole school in order to provide experiences for children that are as encouraging, enriching and educative as possible. (Berk, 2004).Within the aline spirit of partnership, however, the ethos of the learning community demands that all those involved in this inclusive enterprise of educative enrichment need to play an active role. Thus, as Berk (2004) suggests, parents also have a responsibility to become knowledgeable about what constitutes high quality education and they can then press for better classroom experiences for their children. Teachers and parents, toge ther with children, need to build bridges and it seems crucial that each plays an active role if their strategies are to be truly reciprocal and successful. Further to this the childs perspective is an integral part of this reciprocity. youngsterren are active social agents and not merely passive recipients of learning processes and they have a personal perspective on their own experiences, aspirations and needs which cannot be inferred from having adults speak on their behalf (Beveridge, 2004).In conclusion, then, primary schools can do much to engender strong home/school links, particularly through the cultivation of more positive andnon-judgemental attitudes towards families, in recognition of the contribution that all families can make towards their childrens education whatever their social and cultural background. As commentators such as Beveridge (2004) and Berk (2004) have highlighted, however, true partnership implies that all those involved, adults and children alike, have a role to play in the development of successful collaborative strategies. 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