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Together We Can: Uniting Families, Schools and Communities to Help All Children Learn

Together We Can: Uniting Families, Schools and Communities to Help All Children Learn

Author(s): Kathy H Barclay

Edition: 2

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 328

Edition: 2

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 328

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ISBN 9781465221704

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eBook Version 

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Building and maintaining effective partnerships with families and members of the community are probably the most challenging tasks facing educators today. Together We Can explains why these partnerships are difficult to create and how they can be successfully established.

In an accessible question-answer format, Barclay provides a thorough overview of the research in parent involvement. Primary types of involvement and standards from the National PTA, National Association for the Education of Young Children, and Association for Childhood Education International are presented, as is critical information from the No Child Left Behind legislation regarding parental involvement.

Many barriers prevent schools and parents from forming strong partnerships. Barclay addresses factors such as lack of teacher knowledge about involving families, attitudes and beliefs about parents, time and economic restraints, parents' education and income levels, and the increasing diversity of families. The racial, ethnic and cultural diversity of families is explored, as are the barriers of poverty, homelessness, abuse and neglect.

In this second edition, three new chapters with research and strategies specifically for involving special populations, such as families of English Language Learners, children with special needs, and adolescents are included. Administrators, teachers and future teachers will also gain important information about how to engage parents in the Response to Intervention (RTI) process.

Very practical strategies for establishing strong home-school communication, conducting open houses and home visits, planning and implementing a variety of parent education options, utilizing community resources, and building positive public relations many classrooms and schools are portrayed and evaluative instruments are provided to assist teachers and schools in assessing their current school handbook, newsletters and other activities. In the final chapter, a survey is provided for use in evaluating current efforts in parent and community involvement, and guidelines and examples are included for creating long-range plans with short-term action steps for establishing a comprehensive program. 

CHAPTER 1 Moving Beyond Open Houses and Fund Raisers: What Research Tells Us About Parent and Community Involvement
CHAPTER 2 Understanding Families: Barriers and Bridges to Involvement
CHAPTER 3 Working with Families of English Language Learners
CHAPTER 4 Engaging Parents of Children with Special Needs
CHAPTER 5 Involving Parents of Adolescents
CHAPTER 6 Sharing Policies and Procedures: Creating Effective Handbooks and Websites
CHAPTER 7 Read All About It: Creating Effective Written Communications for Classrooms and Schools
CHAPTER 8 Getting to Know You ... Open Houses and Parent Programs
CHAPTER 9 Planning and Delivering an Effective Parent Education Program
CHAPTER 10 The "Whys" and "Hows" of Home Visiting
CHAPTER 11 Assessment and the Reporting of Pupil Progress
CHAPTER 12 Planning and Implementing Effective Parent Conferences
CHAPTER 13 Getting Parents and Community Members Involved: Keys to an Effective Volunteer Program
CHAPTER 14 School-Community Partnerships: Utilizing Community Resources and Fostering Positive Public Relations
CHAPTER 15 Empowering Parents to Serve as Advocates for the Education of Their Children
CHAPTER 16 Building a Comprehensive Plan for Family and Community Involvement

APPENDIX 1 National Standards, Goals, and Indicators for Family-School Partnerships
APPENDIX 2 NAEYC Program Standards
APPENDIX 3 Welcome to Third Grade!
APPENDIX 4 Internet Resources for Parent Involvement and Education
APPENDIX 5 Suggested Books and Print Resources for a Parent Library
APPENDIX 6 DVD's and Videotapes for Parent Education

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INDEX
 

Kathy H Barclay
Kathy Barclay is a professor of reading/language arts and early childhood at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. She served as external co-chair of the Illinois Right to Read Initiative and as a member of the Reading First Steering Committee for the Illinois State Board of Education and project director for the Illinois Center for Achieving Reading Excellence, a grant-funded project at WIU. She has worked with the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood as the co-director for Project ELlPSS: Emergent Literacy Instructional Program and Support Services, a grant funded by the U.S. Health and Human Services, The Head Start Bureau.

An invited speaker at national and state early childhood and literacy conferences, Dr. Barclay has authored numerous articles on literacy strategies for educators and families, and is author of a regular column on emergent literacy for Children and Families, the journal of the National Head Start Association. Dr. Barclay is Editor of the Illinois Reading Council Journal and serves on the Publications Committee for the International Reading Association. 

eBook Version 

You will receive access to this electronic text via email after using the shopping cart above to complete your purchase. 

Building and maintaining effective partnerships with families and members of the community are probably the most challenging tasks facing educators today. Together We Can explains why these partnerships are difficult to create and how they can be successfully established.

In an accessible question-answer format, Barclay provides a thorough overview of the research in parent involvement. Primary types of involvement and standards from the National PTA, National Association for the Education of Young Children, and Association for Childhood Education International are presented, as is critical information from the No Child Left Behind legislation regarding parental involvement.

Many barriers prevent schools and parents from forming strong partnerships. Barclay addresses factors such as lack of teacher knowledge about involving families, attitudes and beliefs about parents, time and economic restraints, parents' education and income levels, and the increasing diversity of families. The racial, ethnic and cultural diversity of families is explored, as are the barriers of poverty, homelessness, abuse and neglect.

In this second edition, three new chapters with research and strategies specifically for involving special populations, such as families of English Language Learners, children with special needs, and adolescents are included. Administrators, teachers and future teachers will also gain important information about how to engage parents in the Response to Intervention (RTI) process.

Very practical strategies for establishing strong home-school communication, conducting open houses and home visits, planning and implementing a variety of parent education options, utilizing community resources, and building positive public relations many classrooms and schools are portrayed and evaluative instruments are provided to assist teachers and schools in assessing their current school handbook, newsletters and other activities. In the final chapter, a survey is provided for use in evaluating current efforts in parent and community involvement, and guidelines and examples are included for creating long-range plans with short-term action steps for establishing a comprehensive program. 

CHAPTER 1 Moving Beyond Open Houses and Fund Raisers: What Research Tells Us About Parent and Community Involvement
CHAPTER 2 Understanding Families: Barriers and Bridges to Involvement
CHAPTER 3 Working with Families of English Language Learners
CHAPTER 4 Engaging Parents of Children with Special Needs
CHAPTER 5 Involving Parents of Adolescents
CHAPTER 6 Sharing Policies and Procedures: Creating Effective Handbooks and Websites
CHAPTER 7 Read All About It: Creating Effective Written Communications for Classrooms and Schools
CHAPTER 8 Getting to Know You ... Open Houses and Parent Programs
CHAPTER 9 Planning and Delivering an Effective Parent Education Program
CHAPTER 10 The "Whys" and "Hows" of Home Visiting
CHAPTER 11 Assessment and the Reporting of Pupil Progress
CHAPTER 12 Planning and Implementing Effective Parent Conferences
CHAPTER 13 Getting Parents and Community Members Involved: Keys to an Effective Volunteer Program
CHAPTER 14 School-Community Partnerships: Utilizing Community Resources and Fostering Positive Public Relations
CHAPTER 15 Empowering Parents to Serve as Advocates for the Education of Their Children
CHAPTER 16 Building a Comprehensive Plan for Family and Community Involvement

APPENDIX 1 National Standards, Goals, and Indicators for Family-School Partnerships
APPENDIX 2 NAEYC Program Standards
APPENDIX 3 Welcome to Third Grade!
APPENDIX 4 Internet Resources for Parent Involvement and Education
APPENDIX 5 Suggested Books and Print Resources for a Parent Library
APPENDIX 6 DVD's and Videotapes for Parent Education

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INDEX
 

Kathy H Barclay
Kathy H Barclay
Kathy Barclay is a professor of reading/language arts and early childhood at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. She served as external co-chair of the Illinois Right to Read Initiative and as a member of the Reading First Steering Committee for the Illinois State Board of Education and project director for the Illinois Center for Achieving Reading Excellence, a grant-funded project at WIU. She has worked with the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood as the co-director for Project ELlPSS: Emergent Literacy Instructional Program and Support Services, a grant funded by the U.S. Health and Human Services, The Head Start Bureau.

An invited speaker at national and state early childhood and literacy conferences, Dr. Barclay has authored numerous articles on literacy strategies for educators and families, and is author of a regular column on emergent literacy for Children and Families, the journal of the National Head Start Association. Dr. Barclay is Editor of the Illinois Reading Council Journal and serves on the Publications Committee for the International Reading Association.