Spring, 1998 No. 4  National Network of Partnership Schools

International Studies Deepen Understanding of Partnerships

Studies from many countries reveal that family and community involvement improves schools, assists families, and increases students' chances of success. Researchers, educators, and parents in many nations are working together to develop more successful programs of partnership. In summaries of international research, we find that:

• Parents care about their children, and their children's success in school.

• Parents vary in how much they presently are involved.

• Students need multiple sources of support to succeed in school

• Teachers and administrators are initially resistant to increasing family involvement.

• Teachers and administrators need inservice, preservice, and advanced education in order to overcome their concerns about involving families and communities in schools and in children's education.

• Schools must reach out in order to involve all families.

Researchers across countries confirm that:

• School programs and practices of partnership make a difference in whether, how, and which families are involved in their children's education. Federal and local policies, support, and action contribute to effective partnerships.

• Subject-specific practices involve families in ways that directly assist students' learning and success.

• Teachers who use practices of partnership are more likely to report that all parents can help their children. They are less likely to stereotype single parents, poor parents, or those with less formal education as unable to help.

• Programs will be most useful to schools and to families if they are customized, comprehensive, and continually improved to help meet important goals for students.

International research deepens our understanding of partnerships and school improvement processes beyond what can be learned in any one country. Evidence across countries indicates that good partnerships change teachers' attitudes about parents' helpfulness, provide parents with the information they want and need to support their children's learning and development, and show students that their parents care about schoolwork and homework. Research in the U. S. and many other countries is increasing knowledge about how well-planned and well-implemented programs of home-school-community partnerships can help students succeed.

From:
Sanders, M. G. and Epstein, J. L. (1998). School-family-community partnerships and educational change: International perspectives. In A. Hargreaves, A. Lieberman, M. Fullan, and D. Hopkins (eds.) International Handbook of Educational Change. Hingham MA: Kluwer.

Epstein, J. L. and Sanders, M. G. (in press, Summer 1998). What we Learn from International Studies of School, Family, and Community Partnerships, and Sanders, M. G. and Epstein, J. L. (in press, Summer 1998). International Perspectives on School-Family-Community Partnerships. In Childhood Education (special issue on School, Family, and Community Partnerships: International Perspectives, M. Sanders and J. Epstein, guest editors, includes articles from Australia, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and the United Kingdom).

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