School Relationships Research Articles

Factores asociados al rendimiento académico en educación primaria durante la enseñanza remota de emergencia

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors associated with academic achievement in primary education during emergency remote teaching. For this purpose, a quantitative approach was used, with a non-experimental and cross-sectional design. The participants were 103 tutors of elementary school students in the south of the State of Sonora, Mexico. The type of sampling used was non-probabilistic. An instrument was used to measure the family-school relationship during confinement, as well as other variables such as sex, type of financing of the educational center and the final average of the previous cycle. The main findings allow establishing moderate positive correlations between the communication and participation dimensions and academic performance, as well as a high positive correlation between the technological scenario and academic performance. Likewise, significant differences were found between the academic performance of private school students and those enrolled in public schools.

Complicating the Role of Relationships in Reducing Student Absenteeism

Abstract A strong connection between schools and families is vital for student success and well-being. Previous studies on school–family relationships found that open communication between parties may aid in supporting students’ needs and ability to attend school. In this paper, authors analyze how leveraging relationships to gain an increased understanding of a family’s attendance barriers is more beneficial than relationships built on accountability. From interviews with 38 caregivers, 29 students, and 40 staff members in an urban school district with high rates of chronic absenteeism, authors found that efforts to build relationships with families focused on accountability and caregiver education about their children’s attendance and the importance of attending school. Families sometimes perceived these efforts as superficial and ineffective. Authors discuss how school districts and key school personnel, such as social workers, can intentionally use the power of relationships to identify student and family needs and connect them with resources.

Responding to Crisis: A Multiple Case Study of District Approaches for Supporting Student Learning in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: Prior research shows wide variation in student learning across contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic, but less is known about why such variation occurred or how particular response approaches may help districts navigate future crises. Research methods: Drawing on crisis leadership and organizational theory, we conducted a multiple case study of pandemic response across five school districts in Michigan that performed better-than-predicted on benchmark assessments during the 2020–21 school year. We interviewed 46 district, school, and teacher leaders across district cases and analyzed data using comparative case study methods. Findings: We find that local leaders relied on existing resources such as staff-student relationships, school-family relationships, and curricula and instructional models to address foundational needs stemming from the pandemic. These resources were part of each district's distinct approach to supporting student learning prior to the pandemic and provided a reliable path forward amidst ongoing uncertainty and disruption. When previous approaches were not aligned to external demands, local leaders leveraged staff expertise, staff collaboration, and school-family relationships to develop new teaching and learning approaches. In-person and hybrid districts adapted to create safe in-person learning environments, while remote and hybrid districts adapted to use technology to engage students in distanced learning and personalized academic support. Implications: Our findings shed light on pandemic response approaches that other districts can adopt in future crises and resources that need to be cultivated and distributed across districts to support crisis response. We contribute new insights on the interplay between leadership and organizational capacity during crisis response.

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for Family Engagement: Insights from the Initial Teacher Education Syllabus

Family involvement and participation in education (FIPE) profoundly impacts the quality of students’ academic and social development. Initial teacher education contribution in fostering attitudes, skills, and strategies for effective FIPE is therefore unquestionable. We aimed to find out to what extent Portuguese pre-service teachers are prepared to engage families. A document analysis was conducted to establish explicit information regarding FIPE within initial teacher education syllabi. Out of 621 syllabi across 36 master’s courses from 25 institutions, only 98 included some information on FIPE. A mere 12 syllabi, from seven institutions, exclusively addressed family–school relationships. Our study covered over 87% of the master’s courses and syllabi, exposing inconsistencies in their educational aims, content, and recommended literature. These findings highlight discrepancies within the initial teacher education syllabi and underscore the need for the enhanced training of pre-service teachers in FIPE. It is crucial to promote more in-depth and explicit syllabi to promote effective family engagement and enrich initial teacher education programs.

Family–School Relationships and Exclusionary Discipline of Students With and Without Disabilities

Using data extracted from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2019 National Household Education Surveys Program, this study used a series of linear probability models to examine the association between family–school relationships and exclusionary discipline. The sample included 15,360 U.S. families of K–12 non-homeschooled and non-virtual school students. Results suggest that students with disabilities experienced significantly more expulsion and suspension and that their families were less satisfied with school and received significantly more individual contact from school for negative reasons. In addition, parent satisfaction with school and individual contacts from school to parent regarding positive behaviors or schoolwork and behavior problems were statistically significantly associated with exclusionary discipline after accounting for student characteristics, such as race, age, and gender. These associations between family–school relationships and exclusionary discipline did not differ by a student’s disability status.

Differential socioemotional and educational profiles in early childhood and primary education students in a lockdown situation.

Recent lockdown situations have highlighted social relationship deprivation of schoolchildren and the need to develop the teaching-learning process in informal contexts. The aim of this study was to analyze differential socioemotional and educational profiles in Early Childhood and Primary Education students using variables relating to academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Correlational, descriptive, and inferential statistical analyses were performed that yielded differential explanatory models depending on the stage of education. The results reveal statistically significant differences in all the variables except for family-school relationship. In the linear regression models, the most statistically significant variable for school performance in both stages was family-school relationship. However, differences were found between both profiles: emotional impact for Early Childhood Education students and social impact for Primary Education students. Lastly, leisure activities at home were included as an explanatory variable only in the Primary Education regression model. The final conclusions highlight the need to attend to the evolutionary characteristics of students in each stage to improve school performance in similar lockdown situations.

Powerful Partnerships: Improving Family-School Relationships for Students With Visual Impairments or Deafblindness

This article highlights the importance of partnerships between families and teachers of students with visual impairments and/or deafblindness by situating this collaborative effort squarely in the legal mandates to collaborate and the research support for effective practices. Six strategies, aligned with the high leverage practices for collaboration, are shared to provide concrete ways for facilitating this partnership. A continuing vignette of a fictional family, the Hamptons, illustrates relevant points in the educational journey for which the implementation of the provided strategies would be pertinent. The vignettes are also designed to demonstrate the possible benefits of employing these strategies on the family-school partnership and ultimately student success.

Reframing family-school partnerships to disrupt disenfranchisement of Black families and promote reciprocity in collaboration

Research has long demonstrated the benefits of family-school partnerships. However, these benefits often fail to generalize to all families, especially Black families. A present and historical pattern of discrimination and exclusion has contributed to the lack of benefits yielded from Black family-school partnerships. A major contributing factor is the narrow way in which schools define family engagement. Such narrow definitions often marginalize families from non-dominant backgrounds, particularly Black families, and reinforce harmful narratives that Black parents and families are uninvolved in their children's education. The combination of continued discrimination and exclusion as well as harmful narratives has impacted Black family-school partnering. However, schools can work to repair harm and rebuild partnerships with Black families. In this article, we advance a framework for such work. After grounding the need for this framework in a historical context, we emphasize three essential components to forming equitable Black family-school partnerships: (a) grounding relationship building in social justice, (b) integrating reciprocity in family-school relationships, and (c) usage of multiple and non-dominant methods and modalities to build relationships.

Voices From the Families: Strategies for and Challenges in Raising a Gifted Child

The purpose of this study was to investigate parenting styles and practices, strategies and resources used to develop a child’s potential, and family–school relationships. Nine families with gifted and talented students participated. The instruments used were a sociodemographic questionnaire, a parenting style scale, and a semistructured interview. The results indicated that the authoritative style was the most representative of parenting practices of this sample. The interviews generated six themes: (a) parental practices, (b) strategies and resources for student development, (c) family–school relationship, (d) challenges, (e) learning, and (f) advice. The findings suggested that parents were concerned not only with developing children’s talents but also with promoting their well-being. If schools were opposed to meeting their children’s needs, parent took their own initiative in meeting these needs. Seeking support from expert professionals in the field and other parents of gifted children was highlighted by the participants.

Exploring Family Engagement and Learning Outcomes in Early Childhood Education Programs in Brazil

This study explores family engagement and its impact on learning outcomes in early childhood education programs in Brazil. Through detailed case studies and empirical analysis, the research investigates the effectiveness of various strategies and initiatives aimed at promoting family-school partnerships. The case studies highlight community-based approaches and technology integration, while empirical analysis reveals the correlation between family engagement levels and children’s learning outcomes. Key findings underscore the importance of inclusive and culturally responsive practices in fostering strong family-school relationships. Implications for policy and practice in early childhood education are discussed, emphasizing the need for continued research and collaboration to ensure equitable access to high-quality education for all children in Brazil.

Challenges of the family-school relationship in a Mapuche context: An approach from the teachers’ perspective

Challenges of the family-school relationship in a Mapuche context: An approach from the teachers’ perspective

Exploring family-school partnership during emergency remote teaching in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic – parents’ perspective. A case study from a Polish elementary school

The study aimed to explore parents' experiences of engaging with their children's remote education during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the issues of the family-school partnership. The question posed here asks how the family-school relationship was negotiated as well as the role of parents and the role of schools. This line of inquiry is unexplored but vital to understand better the tacit underpinnings of remote education practices and the unobvious potential of parents in the schools in times of crisis. Understanding these relationships provides insights into the processes that occur when schools hastily change their way of teaching while impacting the family environment. This participatory, qualitative case study used data from open-ended questions in an electronic survey, with responses from 104 parents affiliated with a public elementary school in a metropolitan area. In addition, data from the school's electronic registry were included. The qualitative analyses applied constructivist grounded theory strategies. During qualitative analyses of parental narratives, categories were identified that described parents' actions as negotiations conducted with the school. These negotiations pertained to the definition of the situation (characterizing the practices implemented by the school), the comprehension of teaching, including remote teaching, the level and nature of the parents’ involvement in pandemic education, and the extent of their (desired) influence on the shape of implemented solutions. The research uncovered the taken-for-granted vision of the school under the study as an expert entity capable and entitled to independently address even extraordinary challenges without consulting the stakeholders themselves. This vision was challenged by parents. Their initiation of negotiations was considered a manifestation of empowerment and emancipation. Further research on empowering practices of parents as partners, especially concerning changes in educational practices in extraordinary situations.

A Multidimensional–Multilevel Approach to Literacy-Related Parental Involvement and Its Effects on Preschool Children’s Literacy Competences: A Sociopedagogical Perspective

From a sociopedagogical perspective, literacy development in preschool is conceptualized as a social phenomenon. Sociopedagogical models emphasize the connection between family and school processes to foster children’s literacy competences and parental involvement. Although contemporary models regarding parental involvement reflect its multidimensional and multilevel nature, research focusing on early literacy mainly addresses certain parenting practices, especially at home, and their association with a few literacy skills. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s bioecosystemic theory, Epstein’s model of overlapping spheres of influence and the typology of parental involvement as well as Rohde’s Comprehensive Emergent Literacy Model, the present study investigates how different dimensions and components of parental involvement interact to affect young children’s literacy competences. We investigate the complex relationships among all dimensions of parental involvement and their association with children’s literacy outcomes. Additionally, we explore the role of several contextual factors (children’s age, parental education, urbanity, number of children’s books) in these associations. Parents of 214 typically developing children aged 4–6 years filled in four parent-report scales developed and validated for measuring the different dimensions of parental involvement and children’s literacy competences. Results illustrate how multilevel parental practices mediate the effect of literacy-related parental perceptions and family–school relationships on children’s literacy competences. Among the contextual factors, only maternal education was found to have a robust, albeit indirect, effect on literacy outcomes. Implications about the school’s role and strategic planning in promoting literacy-focused parental involvement are discussed.

The Social Relationship of Research in a Study about the Agency of Children in School-Family Interface

The content of this paper is part of a broader research that took place in Portugal. It is related to children’s experience in school-family interface throughout the 5th grade, when an ecological transition occurs due to an educational stage transition. Our purpose is to examine the social relationship of research established between the researcher and the children, their parents and teachers, from the moment the students move into the new school. With the children's agency within the framework of school-family relationships as background, and having implemented a qualitative methodology, using the main tools of the ethnographic method, the data were collected with the children in weekly participatory activities and through conversational interviews. Data were also collected from teachers and parents, through interviews and through observation of weekly lessons with the class tutor and of parents’ meetings. The data collected were subjected to content analysis. This research reveals children as competent social actors who act intentionally and strategically in the school-family relationship structure. This strategic action is further reflected in the way children appropriate the data collection activities promoted with them. Moreover, it is also present in the strategic uses they make of the social relationship established with them.

The Ties That Bind: An Examination of School-Family Relationships and Middle School Discipline in New York City

Inequities in exclusionary discipline result from a complex process involving students, families, and school personnel. However, little research has explored the topic from parent perspectives. This study used parent survey data from New York City to investigate the link between school-family relationships and students experiencing exclusionary discipline. Results indicate that stronger parental trust toward teachers is connected to a reduced probability that a student receives an office discipline referral, while greater trust in principals is associated with a lower chance of suspension. Several aspects of school-family relationships, such as parent-principal trust, parental involvement, and school outreach and communication, heterogeneously predict a lower likelihood of experiencing exclusionary discipline by student race and special education status. These findings demonstrate the interdependent role of families and school staff in child development and highlight the need to cultivate positive school-family relationships as a potential strategy for addressing exclusionary discipline disparities.

A szülői részvétel szerepe az alternatív iskolákban és a tanulóközösségekben

Research on the effects of parental involvement in their children's education in school settings has shown that more active parental involvement in school life to support children's learning has a positive impact on academic achievement and student integration, and that family-school relationships and cooperation also play an important role in children's education. School-parent cooperation is also present in public schools, but alternative schools and co-educational schools expect more decisive and active involvement from parents than mainstream schools. The forms and intensity of the expected cooperation vary between alternative schools and learning communities, and this study aims to provide a picture of the forms, possible areas and extent of parental involvement expected in alternative schools and learning communities.

The family-school relationship in primary education

As many scholars in different disciplines have highlighted (Lasch, 1979; Lipovetsky, 1983; Giroux, 2004; Pulcini, 2009; Mayo, 2014;), Western societies are experiencing a phase of socioanthropological upheaval driven by the social and economic effects of neoliberalism. The question arises: are these changes affecting the relationship between schools and students’ families? And if so, in what way? This article begins with a brief summary of what we mean when we talk of “socioanthropological change” in this context, before going on to explore the perspectives – in regard to the school-family relationship – of what is an increasingly heterogeneous group, namely the parents of children in primary education. How do the parents of today experience this relationship? What expectations and beliefs inform their conception of it? The (still-ongoing) study described in this article was initiated in large part to address questions such as these. A key phase of the research carried out so far comprised the administration of semi-structured interviews with Italian parents of primary school children. The results discussed here are based on 101 interviews administered in 2017 and 2018 with a total of 103 parents from various towns/provinces in northern Italy (Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige). The participants (all volunteers) were selected using a snowball sampling method. The study was intended, ultimately, as an examination of experience (Polkinghorne, 1989) in that it sought to achieve a faithful representation of what the participants expressed. We decided this was best served by a naturalistic paradigm and a phenomenological-eidetic approach whereby, in order to apprehend the true qualities of things, the researcher’s personal theories are set aside. The analysed data paints a mixed picture, with a range of different parent “types” who, in one sense or another, are looking for support to allow them to better fulfil their role as a parent.

Collaborative School-Family Relationships using the Expansive Learning Cycle to Enhance Parents Empowering in Helping their Child in the Context of a New Reading Method

The benefits of parental involvement in literacy have been well documented over the years. It has also been shown that when introducing new ways of doing things, parents often show resistance. It is with a view to improving school-family collaboration in the context of La Planète des Alphas, a new reading method, that we conducted a research-intervention. This paper aims to describe how teachers question their own practices and interact with parents to give help and to put forward new models of pedagogical actions. This research-intervention employed the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and the Change Laboratory methodology. We take a close look at the evolution of the discursive manifestations of transformative agency during the Change Laboratory sessions and the discussion topics they were related to. This approach deepens our understanding of the decision making process in the selection of new solutions and the notion of relational agency in fostering collaboration and communication throughout the expansive learning cycle. Five Change Laboratory sessions were coded and analyzed using MAXQDA 2018 software. We highlight the activity system boundary crossing that allowed teachers, parents and school principal to elaborate, implement and reflect upon new instrument- producing activities aiming at empowering parents in helping their child in schooling. Obviously, the relevance of this intervention and research process can be well extended to the overall field language construction and the overall literature on family-school relationships.

Teachers’ representations of the ‘typical’ parent

In this paper we present the findings of a study that investigates Greek-Cypriot teachers’ visual representations of parents typically encountered in the course of teachers’ daily professional practice. The study aims to identify which parents typically communicate with the school, to explore teachers-parents relationship as well as the ways in which parents’ representations relate to the various demographic sub-groups of families encountered in Greek-Cypriot schools. After we briefly describe the social and educational context in which the study was implemented, we present the methodology that we followed, and discuss how drawings by 72 Greek-Cypriot preand in-service teachers of different school levels and of different teaching experiences represent the ‘typical’ parent. This methodological approach was used to gather visual data, alternatively to traditional interviews or observations. We then describe how the drawings and their accompanied text were analysed. The analysis of the data indicates that teachers typically encounter mothers rather than fathers; parents of the local ethnic-cultural dominant group (Greek-Cypriots), and rarely parents from other ethnic-cultural groups; middle class parents rather than working class parents; and higher educated rather than lower educated parents. The analysis of the data also points out that teachers are highly concerned with parents’ image of them. We conclude by discussing how teachers’ images seem to reflect the broader local parent and family profile and how these data could potentially enhance understanding of school-family relationships, thus allowing for suggestions about the ways in which teachers could be supported for collaborating with all families of the children they teach.

Smart Schools and the Family-School Relationship: Teacher Profiles for the Promotion of Family Involvement.

Smart schools prioritise work in the educational community, identifying the participation of families as an opportunity, rather than a form of intrusiveness. There are currently a multitude of ways of sharing education with families, ranging from communication to training, with teachers being the driving force in promoting the different roles that families can assume. In this respect, the aim of this cross-sectional, evaluative, non-experimental and quantitative study is to establish the family participation facilitation profiles of 542 teachers working in schools in a multicultural municipality in the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, in south-eastern Spain. They completed a validated questionnaire with 91 items regarding the different dimensions of family participation, carrying out a cluster analysis to determine the teacher facilitation profiles. The results obtained from the application of the questionnaire show two statistically differentiated teaching profiles. The first of these, with a smaller number of teachers, with fewer years of experience and linked to the pre-primary and secondary stages in public schools, shows less participation in all the modalities considered. In contrast, the profile with the greatest commitment to promoting participation is characterised by having a greater number of teachers, predominantly from state-subsidised centres, that are experienced and linked to the primary stage. In relation to the previous literature, it was possible to confirm the presence of a differentiated profile, finding, on the one hand, teachers interested in the involvement of families and, on the other hand, teachers who do not identify the family-school relationship as a priority. This highlights the need to improve the prior and ongoing training of teachers to raise awareness and sensitise them to the inclusion of families in the educational community.