Enhancing Family- School Partnerships: An Administrator's Role

Abstract

A dis/raughr parenl calls ~ mlld ' 5 ir>Imer He!fd Start l eacher a nd lel/s h e r 0 1 1 M expt} rience 5h Q hlld !h6 owening belr>le allier son 's firs l g<ttrirl Open HouS6. "In lrool of a group of OII'lM p"rOni5 1100 otlildran, • sOO ""Y!', ,1Ie leacl>er told 1M and my son !hal he was !!OI ret>dy lor scl>ool bi>Cause ha rJitJn~ lHing !wO r>()l6bQo/<s with him the lirs! day. ShlI r/idn 'I ""V6 me II cflar>Clllo 6Xp/ain 1""1 llie school bo.t we rt>cttivfK/I/>rough M>(jal """";';"5 IXI/y OOnialf>tNJ """ fOOIebooI<. 11m I COOkJn', ~11ord 10 buy a second ()f)IJ y el. I'm IU> mlUi and IlmblJrrllSsoo 1/>,]1 I really don l ""re if my son """"!/OM 10 SCfIooDf. I k""'" I'm nor!JOl'lll _ T/Ii$ IUdHH _ _ 1 ""relJl>ool mB or my ~ ,,. ""'Y)'OO t1irI .• Thrs may no! be an isolllted Ino::kIem. "The lad lac! i61hal '" many IIlSlances parents donl I", as l we ' " alxm" ItIem in school" according 10 Anthony Galg ... pnt PfnOdll'l1t 01 ttIa NationIII EducatJon ASaociatoon (Education Oaiy. 199<1). Y"'. _ 5 lhal help fam,1iM leel 10 " C he end """" them_1o inprove learr.ng at _ life ~ 10 have ""'"' $Uppor\ /rom parems and mora.....,..y mDlrvaled studemS (Epst~ 1991). Mary D e L ueele I s a n A n lSlan l Prof essor an d Coord ina to r o f Ea ll y C h ildhood Educ at ion in th e Sc h ool 0 1 Family Studies and H uman Services , College o t Hum a n Eco tO'ilY a l Kansa. Sla l e University. Sally Yahnke is an Asslslanl ProtesSOf of Family and Consumer Sciences EducaUon In lhe Department of S e con d ary Ed u cation , Coll e 'ile 0 1 Ed u eatlon at Kansas Stale Universily. J a n ice R. Wissman is Assoclale Professor and Assoc ia te C ean 01 t he College of Educ a tion al Kan sas State Un iversity.