Chapter 7: Educating Teachers and School Leaders for School–Family Partnerships

During their academic preparation, preservice teachers and future school leaders should receive foundational knowledge and skills regarding home– school partnerships. In addition, these future teachers and administrators should receive ongoing in-service professional training, support, and guidance regarding effective home–school partnerships from first appointment and thereafter. However, few educational professionals receive such training (Epstein & Sanders, 2006; Marcos et al., 2009). Kirschenbaum, in Hiatt Michael (2001), synthesized the efforts of practitioners and scholars to deliberately prepare educational professionals to craft and maintain school– family partnerships. Since that publication, several additional important efforts have emerged that target the preparation of future teachers and school leaders for active partnerships with families. This chapter examines those emerging trends in educating professionals to engage in school–family partnerships. This chapter begins by examining the literature on the importance of teachers and school leaders partnering with families. Next, emerging trends in the preparation of these education professionals are addressed, focusing on how pragmatic training can help position teachers and leaders to have a lasting impact on effective school–family partnerships.