Chapter 3: Communication Practices that Bridge Home with School

Home–school partnerships depend upon frequent and persistent communication between families and schools. Studies reveal that family involvement at the school is dependent upon the school reaching out to the home (Benson & Martin, 2003; Hoover-Dempsey, Walker, & Sandler, 2005; Johnson & Hiatt, 1997; Neufeld, 2010). Interestingly, annual results of the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll report low parental grading of public schools in general but higher parental reviews of the school that their child attends (Bushaw & McNee, 2009). This knowledge suggests that parents receive negative information about schools in general but that individual schools send more positive messages to their local communities.