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Principals Matter

A Guide to School, Family, and Community Partnerships

By: Mavis G. Sanders, Steven B. Sheldon

Build a school climate that promotes the development of successful school partnerships!

This research-based resource examines the principal's essential role in developing effective partnership programs and provides a road map for initiating home-school-community collaborations that are goal-focused, equitable, and sustainable. Presenting examples of strong partnerships that are based on supportive school climates, this book:

Synthesizes research on partnerships, principal leadership, and urban education reform
Discusses the role of fathers and working with families that live in poverty, are linguistically diverse, or have children with disabilities
Offers practical recommendations for refining partnership programs to ensure alignment with student achievement goals

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Product Details

Grade Level: K-12
ISBN: 9781412960427
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2009
Page Count: 160
Publication date: November 20, 2012

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Description

"Addresses specific populations that are often alienated by schools: fathers, parents of children with disabilities, and families of poverty. It provides a good overview of key research on the topic of family involvement in schools, its impact, and practices for obtaining involvement."
—William Ruff, Assistant Professor
Montana State University

"An excellent book. Each chapter opens with relevant research and presents suggestions for practical applications. I would buy this book for a task force or professional learning community."
—Julie C. Burger, Principal
Frederick Leighton Elementary School, Oswego, NY

Build a school climate that promotes the development of successful school partnerships!

Research has shown that strong principal leadership is critical to developing effective school partnerships that include diverse school, family and community members. This book provides administrators with a clear road map for initiating partnership programs that are goal-focused, equitable, and sustainable.

In this research-based resource, the authors highlight the work of principals who have cultivated successful partnerships across many settings to show other school leaders how they can develop the necessary supportive school cultures. Examining the administrator's role in the success and quality of home-school partnerships and student outcomes, this guidebook:

Synthesizes research on principal leadership, school and community partnerships, and urban education reform
Discusses the role of fathers in children's learning and working with families that live in poverty, are linguistically diverse, or have children with disabilities
Offers practical recommendations for evaluating and refining partnership programs to ensure they are linked with student achievement goals

Key features

Synthesizes research on principal leadership, school and community parternships, and urban education reform for the practitioner
Highlights for urban principals key focal areas for improving school, family, and community partnerships
Highlights real-life examples of success
Offers urban principals ideas on increasing parent and community involvement

Author(s)

Mavis G. Sanders

Mavis G. Sanders is assistant professor of education in the School of Professional Studies in Business and Education, research scientist at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR), and senior advisor to the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of many articles on the effects of school, family, and community support on African American adolescents’ school success, the impact of partnership programs on the quality of family and community involvement, and international research on partnerships. She is interested in how schools involve families that are traditionally hard to reach, how schools meet challenges for implementing excellent programs and practices, and how schools define “community” and develop meaningful school-family-community connections. Her most recent book is Schooling Students Placed at Risk: Research, Policy, and Practice in the Education of Poor and Minority Adolescents (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000). She earned her PhD in education from Stanford University.

Steven B. Sheldon

Steven B. Sheldon is a research scientist with the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and director of research of NNPS at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of many publications on the implementation and effects of programs for family and community involvement. His work explores how the quality and outreach of school programs of partnerships affect parents’ responses and student outcomes, such as student attendance, math achievement, student behavior, reading, and state achievement test scores. His most recent book guides principals in their leadership and work on school, family, and community partnerships (with Mavis Sanders, Corwin Press, 2009). In his current research, Sheldon is studying the influences of parents’ social networks, beliefs, and school outreach on patterns of parental involvement at school and at home and results for students. He earned his PhD in educational psychology from Michigan State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction: Standards for School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Part I. Laying the Foundation

1. Policy, Theory, and Research on School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Partnerships and Academic Outcomes

Partnerships and Nonacademic Outcomes

Why This Matters for Principals

Reflection Questions

2. Reculturing Schools for School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Schools as Community Institutions

Developing a Coordinated Program of School, Family, Community Partnerships

Principal Leadership and School Outcomes

Obstacles to Effective School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Steps Toward Recultured Schools

Why This Matters for Principals

Reflection Questions

Part II. Responding to Diversity

3. Fathers and School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Why Fathers Matter

Father Demographics

The Role of Fathers

Guidelines for Developing Partnership Efforts to Involve Fathers

Why This Matters for Principals

Reflection Questions

4. Families of Children With Disabilities and School, Family, and Community Partnerships

IDEA and Children With Special Needs

District and School Outreach to Families of Children With Disabilities

Specific Needs and Experiences of Families of Children With Disabilities

Engagement Strategies for the Families of Children With Disabilities

Creating Inclusive Environments for Special Needs Populations

Why This Matters for Principals

Reflection Questions

5. Linguistically Diverse Families and School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Growth in Immigration and Limited English Proficient Students and Families

LEP Students and Families

LEP Students and NCLB

Strategies to Facilitate the Involvement of LEP Families

Culturally Intelligent Principal Leadership

Why This Matters for Principals

Reflection Questions

6. Families Living in Poverty and School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Challenges Faced by Low-Income Families

Avoiding a Deficit Perspective

A Collaborative Approach

Why This Matters for Principals

Reflection Questions

Part III. Maximizing Outcomes

7. Evaluating Programs of School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Planning an Evaluation

Collecting Data

Presenting the Findings

Why This Matters for Principals

Reflection Questions

Concluding Thoughts

References

Index

Reviews

"The book provides a vast overview of the many key aspects of partnerships between schools, families, and communities grounded in data and research that illustrates the positive impact that strong stakeholder partnerships have on student achievement. The examples, vignettes, and stories provide rich material to illuminate the points addressed."

Belinda Gimbert, Assistant Professor
The Ohio State University

"An excellent book. Each chapter opens with relevant research and presents suggestions for practical applications. As a principal, I would buy this book for a task force or professional learning community."

Julie C. Burger, Principal
Frederick Leighton Elementary School, Oswego, NY

"There is so much valuable information in this book that any administrator, regardless of experience, can gain huge benefits from reading it and putting into effect many of the suggested activities and programs."

Marian Hermie, Clinical Associate Professor
Arizona State University

"What sets this book apart from other school and community source books is that it addresses specific populations that are often alienated by schools: fathers, parents of children with disabilities, and families of poverty. It provides a good overview of key research on the topic of family involvement in schools, its impact, and practices for obtaining involvement."

William Ruff, Assistant Professor
Montana State University

Other Titles in: Urban Education | Administration & Leadership | Principalship

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