Chapter 1: Family Involvement Policy, Research and Practice

Society’s lasting legacy exists in its children, not the products or technologies that society pridefully creates as is prominent endeavors. The children will be next generation’s adults who serve as wise or foolish decision-makers of society’s things and ideas. The process of education will provide these children with the values, knowledge and tools to operate as society’s future decision-makers. President Obama reminded society, “there is nothing that will determine the quality of our future as a nation, or the lives our children will lead, more than the kind of education we provide them” (Parsons, 2009).

One of the most powerful forces in education is the quality of the relationships between the child’s family and the school personnel. A recent study of 100 successful and 100 problematic elementary schools revealed that strong home–school ties was one of five essential supports to quality education (Byrk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton, 2010). For several decades, educational researchers have been promoting the benefits of partnerships between schools, families and communities as a way of increasing student achievement. Their research is generously sprinkled throughout the chapters of this monograph and, for purposes of flow and space, will not be duplicated here. These researchers describe school–family partnerships as characterized by a shared focus between school and home on students. These partnerships are nurtured as an effort to provide a wide support net for children. The intent of these partnerships is to assist all children to succeed academically, as well as to enhance positive self-esteem, independence, and life skills.