Family, School, Community Engagement and Partnerships : Theory and Best Practices

With research proving that children perform better academically and socially when their families are involved in their education, there is a need for teacher and administrator preparation programs to include theory and best practices on how to get families involved. The hope is that Colleges and Schools of Education will develop and create focused and comprehensive family, school and community engagement curricula, programs and partnerships, which will be seamless across all educational preparation programs. This book was originally published as a special issue of Teaching Education.

How can colleges and schools support the inclusion of family, school and community engagement curricula in teacher and administrator preparation programs? The contributions in this book try to answer this question, with contributors describing their experiences, their programs, and their support for the goal of enhancing parental involvement and engagement in Schools and Colleges of Education.

The authors and researchers, such as Joyce Epstein, who is the foremost researcher on the topic, have the knowledge and expertise in family, school, and community engagement and partnerships from both theory and best practice perspectives. The book is designed to be interactive, and readers are encouraged to engage themselves in the conversation. Readers are invited to e-mail any of the editors to discuss the questions posed. This book was originally published as a special issue of Teaching Education.