Home-school partnerships
The relationships between teachers, students and their families have the potential to have a positive impact on students’ wellbeing and academic success.
Definition
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.
Relevance
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.
State of the evidence
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.
In practice
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.
Guiding questions
- 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?
From family involvement to partnership
A summary on the research behind family involvement and home-school partnership.
What families and whānau can do to support home-school partnerships
The key contributions that families make to home-school partnerships.
What school leadership can do to support home-school partnerships
What leaders can do to positively impact the relationship between school and students' parents and whanau.
Partnerships with families from diverse cultural backgrounds
Tips and suggestions for improving partnership with culturally diverse families.
What teachers can do to support home-school partnerships
An overview of the research on the role of teachers in creating effective home-school partnerships.
Supporting neurodivergent students by developing the home-school partnership
Building supportive partnerships with families of neurodivergent students.
Supporting positive transitions for refugee and migrant children
This webinar for early childhood and school teachers and leaders shares insights from research by Professor Sally Peters and Dr Hazel Woodhouse which highlights the powerful role of early childhood settings, schools, Settlement Centre staff, and families in supporting positive educational experiences and transitions.
Māori achieving success as Māori part 2
Janelle Riki-Waaka returns to help educators to positively challenge their existing beliefs and perceptions about te ao Māori, and to build deeper understanding of the best ways to work alongside Māori and enact our
responsibilities to te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Māori achieving success as Māori
Janelle Riki-Waaka explores what Māori achieving success as Māori means from a Māori worldview, and how teachers and schools can consider how well their environments and practices support ākonga Māori to succeed and thrive.
Learning from lockdown – the voices of parents of Māori and Pasifika students
Authors of the report School-led learning at home: The voices of parents of Māori and Pasifika students, discuss the value of parent voice and some of the key findings of their recent research.
Positive transitions into school and early childhood settings for refugee and migrant children
Key insights from a webinar with Professor Sally Peters and Dr Hazel Woodhouse.
Partnership with whānau Māori and mana whenua
Key insights from our second webinar with Janelle Riki-Waaka.
Honouring Te Tiriti and promoting culturally empowering practices in schools
Key insights from the webinar with Janelle Riki-Waaka on supporting ākonga Māori to achieve success as Māori in schools.
The vital role of schools and teachers in helping communities respond to disasters
The key insights from our webinar with Carol Mutch on schools' responses to disasters and traumatic events.
Lessons from lockdown: Engaging in true partnership with Māori and Pasifika families
The key ideas from our webinar discussing the recent report 'School-led learning at home: The voices of parents of Māori and Pasifika students'.