This article discusses the contributions of the international studies in this special issue and presents a few emerging topics on school, family, and community partnerships. The studies in Part I confirm that, across countries, future teachers are inadequately prepared to conduct effective partnership programmes with all students' families. Part…

Although we know that family involvement is associated with stronger math performance, little is known about what educators are doing to effectively involve families and community members, and whether this measurably improves math achievement at their schools. This study used data from 39 schools to assess the effects of family and community…

This article discusses a theoretical perspective, research results, and practical examples that support new roles for school counselors in strengthening school programs of family and community involvement. A modest proposal is offered for school counselors to spend 20% of their time on strengthening teamwork for partnerships by working with other…

Purpose: This study tests key constructs of sociocultural and organizational learning theories with quantitative methods to better understand the nature and impact of district and school leadership and actions on the quality of programs of family and community involvement. Research Design: Survey data from a "nested" sample of 24 districts and 407…

Provides an overview of the types, challenges, and benefits of school, family, and community partnerships internationally. Discusses six types of involvement essential for a comprehensive program of partnerships in relation to the articles in this focused journal issue. Considers challenges and benefits of these partnerships as illustrated by the…

Educators at all school levels know that successful students--at all ability levels--have families who stay informed and involved in their children's education. Yet many middle level and high school teachers report that the only time they contact families is when students are in trouble. This disconnect between knowledge and behavior can be…

Students who are chronically absent are more likely than other students to drop out of school. Many schools have goals to reduce student truancy and to help chronically absent students attend school regularly. Few studies, however, have focused on whether or how family and community involvement help reduce rates of chronic absenteeism. In this…

Reviews the requirements of the revised Title I for parent and community involvement in schools, especially the requirement for school-parent contracts, and summarizes research on the effects of school-family partnerships on students, teachers, and parents. Two major programs for building such partnerships are described. (SLD)

Discusses the work of the Center on Families, Communities, Schools and Children's Learning related to the theory of overlapping spheres of influence and the framework of six major types of involvement. Summarizes the results of center studies that could help schools build better programs of partnership. (JOW)

Collected data on elementary and secondary schools' rates of daily student attendance and chronic absenteeism and on specific partnership practices that schools implemented to help increase or sustain student attendance. Results suggest that schools interested in improving or maintaining good attendance can benefit from taking a comprehensive…

Examined school officials' efforts to implement family and community involvement activities to reduce the number of disciplinary actions and ensure school climates focused on learning. Longitudinal data from elementary and secondary schools indicated that regardless of schools' prior discipline rates, the more family and community involvement…

Highlights the importance of designing integrated, coordinated social contexts to foster children's development. Summarizes effective program characteristics and guidelines for building lasting partnerships. Six types of involvement (parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community)…

Describes six types of school, family, and community involvement in the middle grades: (1) parenting; (2) communicating; (3) volunteering; learning at home; (4) decision making; and (5) collaborating with community. Links school-family-community partnerships to 12 recommended characteristics of responsive middle schools. (DLH)

National and international studies have made student performance in mathematics a high priority in schools. Using longitudinal data from elementary and secondary schools, the authors examined the connections between specific family and community involvement activities and student achievement in mathematics at the school level. After the authors…

Students who succeeded in school are almost always supported by their families, while other students struggle without support from home. For a school to develop a partnership program involving all parents in ways that increase student success requires new ways of thinking about family and community involvement. All schools need a purposeful,…