Effective school-parent partnerships are in the child's best interests. Nevertheless, the complexity of the parent-teacher relationship requires the teachers to be trained in parent communication skills. Here, we explore factors that affect the parent-teacher relationship from the perspective of education trainees, who were required to communicate…

Teacher educators are charged with supporting adult learners as they prepare to collaborate with diverse families and colleagues. In this research, we examined how a cohort of teacher candidates (N = 29) developed over a semester in their understanding, dispositions, and knowledge of strategies for partnership through the "dilemmas"…

The author describes how her perspectives as a teacher educator and as a parent were extended and enriched as her daughter entered school and learned to read. She highlights the importance of prioritizing love in her engagement with her child's teachers and in her professional thinking and actions as a teacher educator.

Three early childhood teacher educators from different institutions engaged in a collaborative self-study to explore the role of empathy in preservice teacher professional development. The two-fold purpose of the study was to: (1) develop and refine their practices to build teacher candidates' empathy in their interactions with children, families,…

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…

Rather than being confined to academic knowledge provided by university-based programmes, there are calls for teacher education to embrace the knowledge situated within local communities. Drawing on the theories of community knowledge in teaching and teacher education, this paper reports the results of a study that explores community members'…

Education has embraced the idea of an "asset approach" to working with families and children, creating a focus on developing collaborative relationships with families by building on what they bring to the table. In this paper we explore what happened when early childhood teachers entered homes to learn from families and identify their…

In today's global society, it is important for future teacher educators to identify and apply different types of dispositions, attitudes, and skills in order to provide full participation and support to all types of families. Partnerships with families having a child with a disability calls for teacher educators of the general and special…

In Spain the syllabus of primary education students and their future teachers is broken down by competences. As teacher educators we were interested in finding out "which teaching competences teachers consider are most necessary to facilitate learning of student key competences." Therefore, we conducted a study with a sample of 286…

This international research project examined the value of utilizing an early childhood program assessment instrument as a tool for in-service professional development and self-reflection for kindergarten teachers in Parma, Italy. Teacher educators from universities in Italy and the USA conducted the study collaboratively. Goals of the study were…

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…

This study examines preservice and in-service teachers' perspectives on their preparation in learning parental involvement strategies and explores their opinions on what kind of experiences regarding parental involvement they think teacher education programs should provide. The data from the study suggested that the preservice teachers held…

Identifying a Signature Pedagogy that ensures high-quality teacher preparation is essential to the field of teacher education, as inconsistencies across programs throughout our country threaten our profession. Drawing on a comprehensive study of the professions, Lee Shulman (2005) provides a lens from which to identify Signature Pedagogy and the…

What tools are in the toolkit of an excellent special educator, and how can teacher preparation programs provide these tools in the most efficient, effective way possible? This practical, clearly written book is grounded in current research and policy as well as the author's extensive experience as a teacher educator. It identifies what special…

Kindergarten student teachers face a unique set of challenges as they strive to meet the needs of very young children. This article presents ten suggestions for ensuring a successful experience. They are based on the authors' many years of experience in working with student teachers placed in kindergarten settings. Arranged in Letterman fashion in…