Home-school partnerships

Family involvement in schools has traditionally been conceptualised to include a range of activities that engage families and whānau in their child’s schooling, such as attending parent-teacher conferences and educational workshops, volunteering for field trips, or guiding home-learning activities. Many involvement activities are primarily focused on whānau support for the school, or they may put families in a passive role as recipients of knowledge. Home-school partnerships, on the other hand, are mutually determined, balancing the traditional power dynamic between teachers and whānau. They have benefits for all partners – students, whānau, and teachers. While increased family involvement is a consequence of effective partnerships, effective partnerships do not automatically arise from involvement activities. Teachers can influence partnerships by:

• recognising and celebrating each child’s individuality
• welcoming all whānau
• helping whānau to encourage activities that build students’ ability to learn effectively.

Both family involvement and home-school partnerships have been correlated with a range of benefits for students, teachers, and whānau. Indeed, a comprehensive meta-analysis comparing a wide range of educational interventions found that parent involvement was more positively correlated with student academic achievement than most other interventions. Home-school partnerships include all the benefits of family involvement and additionally have a positive impact on students’ motivation, engagement, behaviour, and social outcomes.

While research has found correlation between family involvement in school activities and improved outcomes for students, it is unable to establish a clear causative relationship. This uncertainty arises primarily because school and home contexts are complex, and a myriad of factors impact on student achievement.

A home-school partnership involves genuine collaboration and coordination between whānau and schools on key issues relevant to both partners’ goals. It involves two-way systems of support that cross home and school settings. Examples include:

• teachers finding opportunities for students and families to share knowledge and skills gained through home and family experiences
• teachers understanding students’ home experiences in order to build relationships and develop meaningful and relevant learning activities
• schools providing resources such as books that particular groups of families have identified as important
• schools providing information and support to enable parents to engage with their children’s learning.

• How do you conceptualise the role of parents and whānau in learning and school?
• How do you develop relationships with parents and whānau?
• How does your school support the development of whānau partnerships?
• How do you involve whānau in the learning process?