Chapter 5: New Directions In Family Literacy: Building Effective Partnerships Between Home and School¹

Interest in the literacy of home is not new. Teachers and researchers have long recognized that the literacy children experience at home and in their communities has a significant impact on later literacy success at school and in the wider world. This recognition has been the driving force behind the many attempts to gain parent involvement in education from preschool to later high school. As well, we know that the literacy children experience outside early childhood education and school settings is varied and complex (Cairney, Lowe, & Sproats 1995; Freebody, Ludwig, & Gunn, 1995; Gutierrez, 1993). And yet, the impact of this known fact has been limited, with acknowledgment in curricula seemingly restricted in any widespread way to the use of environmental print in early childhood settings; the encouragement of children and families to share home literacy within the classroom context; and the sending of school books home to families to use as a stimulus to literacy learning. It is clear that while efforts to acknowledge family and community literacy are commendable, they have not gone far enough in recognizing the richness of literacy outside educational institutions and the need for genuine partnerships between educators and families. This chapter seeks to provide an overview of key literature that will inform readers’ understanding of this area, and challenge educators to consider the implications of these findings for research and practice.