New Ways to Engage Parents: Strategies and Tools for Teachers and Leaders, K–12

Details about New Ways to Engage Parents: Strategies and Tools for Teachers and Leaders, K–12:

“It is my hope that this book inspires teachers to seek ways to make schools more equitable and caring spaces for all children.”
—From the Foreword by Catherine Compton-Lilly, University of Wisconsin–Madison

“Long a leader in the field, Professor Patricia Edwards reinforces the fact that education is a shared responsibility of home, school, and community. She presents scores of practical ideas and resources to enable educators to involve all parents in their children’s education.”
—Joyce L. Epstein, Johns Hopkins University

“Finally, a book that brings partnering with parents into the 21st century! This is a book teachers will want to keep at their fingertips.”
—Jeanne R. Paratore, Boston University

“With lots of practical suggestions and resources, this book will help readers immediately update, expand, and enhance their parent-engagement efforts.”
—Laurie Elish-Piper, Northern Illinois University

“Loaded with practical advice that can help educators engage with families in respectful and culturally sensitive ways. With strategies ranging from teacher notes to classroom blogs, every teacher should find a wealth of ideas for building home–school partnerships.”
—Deborah Wells Rowe, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University

“Patricia Edwards help us think critically about outmoded practices that often distance diverse parents from schools.”
—Judy Carson, Connecticut Department of Education

Just as populations change, ideas about how to encourage and work with parents also need to evolve. This practical resource by bestselling author Patricia Edwards provides school leaders and classroom teachers with new and creative ways in which to welcome, encourage, and involve parents. Enacting these types of practices requires a special kind of commitment from teachers and school leaders, which often coincides with a particular kind of mindset about families and one’s responsibility to engage them. Educators often develop this mindset as they deepen their understanding of families, literacy/language, culture/race/class, and themselves. Edwards pulls these understandings together and presents them in a straightforward, concise, and easy-to-use guide that is perfect for professional learning communities and teacher preparation courses. New Ways to Engage Parents is essential reading for all educators who care deeply about engaging a wide range of parents in today’s schools.

Book Features:

• A stark look at the changing community demographics and what that means for teachers and administrators.
• Strategies for communicating with parents, including the use of technology.
• The best times to make contact with parents.
• Examples of how to bring parents together for meaningful activities.
• The importance of understanding parental constraints and the need to meet them halfway.
• Approaches for overcoming “school ghosts,” as well as negative histories and perceptions in the community.
• Additional resources available online, including an extended example of a parent-teacher-student conference.

Patricia A. Edwards is professor of language and literacy in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University, and former president of the Literacy Research Association and the International Reading Association.