Denmark and Sweden have witnessed a historically significant amplification of parental influence in compulsory schools during the past two decades. The emphasis on parental involvement in these two countries reflects international trends of neoliberal governing of educational processes. We know very little about the interplay between beginning…

Parent involvement has been shown to have a positive effect on second language acquisition, student motivation and academic achievement. This is particularly true for the almost five million English learners (ELs) in our PK-12 schools today and has important implications for the preparation of pre-service teachers. This study investigated how a…

This study investigated the impact on Hispanic pre-service teachers' self-efficacy toward parental involvement as a result of having been engaged in a unique form of professional development (PD) that merged authentic field experiences with direct interactions with parents of ELs. Thirty (n=30) pre-service bilingual generalists were engaged in…

This article reports on the development of preservice teachers' knowledge, comfort, and beliefs about family engagement in elementary mathematics. Nine traditional undergraduate female participants, who were involved in the delivery of 21st century mathematics learning workshops for families, completed both a pre- and post-assessment consisting of…

Communication plays a critical role in building and supporting healthy interpersonal relationships. American teacher development standards recognise this and outline the importance of communication in relationship-building with both parent and student to create a successful learning environment. However, although available research points to the…

Over the past decade, the international (PISA) and national (CMEC Pan-Canadian Assessment), standardized testing results have shown that students in Manitoba have relatively low results in the area of mathematics when compared to the rest of Canada. This article discusses a project that was devised as a means of reaching out to a school community…

Many preservice teachers find parental involvement theories, strategies and concepts they learn in university classrooms too abstract to help address parental involvement issues they encounter in schools. Case study method is one of the many approaches that have been used in teacher education programs to connect theory and practice. This study…

This study used semi-structured interviews to examine 18 primary education preservice teachers' views on working with Mongolian parents across diverse family patterns, including: preservice teachers' understanding of parental involvement; parental involvement practices learned; their awareness of diverse family patterns; and the preservice…

This article is the Swiss contribution to the European project 'Collaboration on Improving Students' Preparation for Family-School Partnerships'. It presents results from a study investigating how Swiss Schools of Teacher Education prepare primary school students for cooperation with the parents of four- to thirteen-year-old pupils. Nine Schools…

Providing preservice teachers with opportunities to engage with parents and begin to see them as collaborators in their children's education is a persistent challenge in mathematics methods courses and teacher preparation programs more broadly. We describe the use of family mathematics nights as a model for engaging parents and preservice…

More than 40 years after passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), some special education teacher preparation programs offer limited coursework on parent involvement, advocacy, or home-school collaboration. For pre-service special education teachers and/or novice special education teachers working with students with…

It is no question that preparing teachers to work with the many facets involved in special education is a daunting task. Upon entering the classroom on the first day, special education teachers are expected to be prepared (Sayeski, 2015) when presented with numerous responsibilities (Collins, Sweigart, Landrum, & Cook, (2017), including parent…

In this article we describe a university-school district partnership offering an on-campus transition experience for students with intellectual disabilities that includes collaborative experiences with pre-service special education teacher candidates. A description of the specific components and outcomes of the program is presented along with a…

Parent involvement is essential to student success. However, it is also often a struggle for even the most experienced teacher to get parents involved. There are many barriers to parent involvement including issues related to parents finding the time, understanding its importance, and speaking a different language in the home. That is the reality…

The aim of this study was to help pre-service teachers develop basic knowledge and skill for partnering with families on assessment-related issues. An assessment class for teacher educators (experimental group) participated in role-playing activities designed to expand their understanding and skill in a way that would help them learn how to…