Families as Partners in Education

Engaging families in children's education through partnerships and collaboration

Families as Partners in Education is the most comprehensive book on the market covering the history of family/school collaboration, current issues and population trends affecting American schools and communities, diverse family structures, and techniques for establishing connections with parents and encouraging involvement with their child's learning. Among other themes, the book emphasizes the importance of funds of knowledge for children's development and for effective partnerships with families (the knowledge that children acquire from their families) and the concept of funds of identity as a catalyst for educators to understand their own identity. Throughout the book, the authors make connections to these concepts not only to help educators understand child development, but also to show how children develop within the context of their families. The 10th Edition continues to highlight important parent involvement programs and how such programs are often successful because of their asset-based view of families, particularly those that are diverse, as well as those with children with special abilities. Updated theory and research are included throughout the text, as well as new situational vignettes that illustrate typical parent-school situations.