Building and Sustaining Positive Relationships and Trust with Families: Needs of Students, Parents and Caregivers

Relationships play a vital role in the success of a school and its students. Parents, teachers, principals, faculty, staff, community members and stakeholders can all play a part in the achievement of our students. Henderson (2007) says that “research shows that students whose families are actively involved in their child’s school/education tend to get better grades, have a higher graduation rate and go on to get a higher education” (pg. 2). Parents and teachers need to work together to create goals for students. Parents are a huge resource that most of the time tends to go untapped because of miscommunication. Parents feel that they are not needed because the teachers are the experts in their field, however parents and caregivers know their children best and we need to use that to the students advantage. Henderson (2007)” when schools engage families in ways that are linked to learning, students make greater gains” (pg. 3). We need to work with parents and families to create programs to bring families into the schools where they feel they are an active participants in their child’s education. If parents are to overwhelmed by “life” situations, then we need to work find someone that is significant in that students’ life to be the active participant. In addition, when students have family members who actively involved it contributes to being healthier socially and emotionally. They enjoy school and work harder, participate in more extra-curricular activities and have healthier relationships. Parents want to see their children thrive and succeed, so when these relationships exist and students are more successful, the parents continue to help build the relationships. Henderson (2007) says “that well-planned family learning and support activities tend to increase self-confidence, so parents and family members go on to pursue a high school diploma, additional job training and higher education” (pg. 3)

School Organizational Culture that Promotes Open Communication with Families

Henderson (2007) says” the most important thing is our mindset, we must believe in our souls that families want to support their children and that this support or partnership can make a significant difference in a child’s educational experience.” She goes on to say, “ we need to prioritize reaching out to families” (pg. 28) To create a culture that promotes open communication we must start with our minds, the way we see parents. We need to take the time to get to know and understand our parents and how they feel. The culture within the schools must promote a healthy mindset towards our families and how they can support the student’s education. Creating open lines of communication with a positive mindset can be beneficial to our students.

After shifting our mindset, we must build trust. Porterfield (2014) says “yesterday’s school leaders didn’t have to think about building trust, they simply had it. Today, leaders operate in a much different environment. Headlines shout education’s worst cases, politicians pile on and urban legends abound” (pg. 16). So how do we build trust? We must make the stakeholders feel confident in the job we are doing. To build trust we must communicate openly with parents. We need to reach out and check on our students and their families. Schools must not jump to conclusions, we need to listen to understand not to respond. Schools need to communicate the positives more than the negatives. Parents need to feel validated if they have concerns.

Lastly our school building itself needs to be warm and inviting. Parents and families need to feel welcome and appreciated. Schools need to promote where volunteers are needed. We need to create open forums, open houses, small group meetings, and other avenues that allows parents to collaborate with us to create a better educational experience for our students.

Strategies for Effective Communication with Families

In todays time there are so many ways to communicate with families. Porterfield (2014) says “building good relationships with all the stakeholders and for the general health of the organization, it means devising and implementing a year-round, school-wide or division-wide communication plan-before someone steps in a landmine” (pg. 51). When building programs and making changes the communication should happen before, to prepare the parents and ease concerns. The bigger the project or the more important the information the more detailed the communication needs to be.

Our daily communication can be a variety of ways; from apps on our phones to newsletters to phone calls. All are a good way to communicate daily happenings around the school and in our classrooms. Henderson (2007) says “to build a culture of accountability, parents and teachers should stay in constant touch about high-quality teaching and learning.”

Another vital communication tool are parent-teacher conferences. Theses conferences should happen throughout the year and are a good way for teachers, students and their families to communicate about the child’s education. Henderson (2007) explains “that these conferences are often a parent only chance to meet with teachers face-to-face” (pg. 98). Teachers need to make sure that the environment is comfortable and inviting, that way everyone feels more relaxed. Teachers can help by sending home information before the meeting, so the parents know what to prepare for. During the meeting show off some of the student’s best work, discuss test scores and allow the parents time to ask any questions and voice any concerns.

Approaches to Collaboration with Families

Henderson (2007) says that “all families and communities have something to offer-we do whatever it takes to work closely together to make sure every single student succeeds.” What does this collaboration look like? We need to build relationships and then make the connection between the relationship and learning. We also need to understand that all families are different, and we need to address those differences; from translators being available for meetings, to understanding their cultural and socioeconomic differences.

When we work with parents, we build relationships, we can hear their concerns and create ways to address those concerns. Ridnour (2011) “when you create a series of workshops in response to concerns shared by parents, you are waving a banner that says “parent engagement isn’t a one-shot affair. Parent engagement is an ongoing, much-valued process” (pg. 114).

Another way to approach collaboration is power sharing. Principals, teachers, students and families all need to be actively involved in the education. Schools need to allow families to have a voice in decision making. We can use PTA meetings, open house nights, neighborhood meeting, and surveys to allow families to have an opinion on school business.

Building and Sustaining Positive Relationships with Community Partners

Needs of Community Partners

Working with the community is something that must be done. The community has so much to do with the success of the school, that a positive and productive relationship is vital to both sides. Henderson (2007) collaborative approaches can contribute to the strengthening the human, social and economic foundation of neighborhoods (pg. 5). Schools can work with neighborhood leaders to help develop ways to make them safer for students and their families. With safer neighborhoods comes safer schools and safer schools helps build a more productive community.

Ridnour (2011) says “ the more tightly connected students feel to their community, the more likely they are to become productive members of that community and advocate for its well-being as adults.” When schools and communities become partners, the students have access to programs and resources that are beneficial to their social, emotional and academic needs.

One last thing that is vital with school community partnerships is school funding. When schools are considering a new bond issue, community involvement is key. The community needs to know what they are paying for and why it is needed. How will it not only benefit the school but also the community. For example, a new sports field can bring in a new opportunity to host events and have a lot of traffic through town that will benefit businesses. A new auditorium could hold town meetings and new storm shelters could serve as community shelters after school hours.

School Organizational Culture’s Promotion of Open Communication with Community

Just like with our families, our community members need to feel welcomed and valued within our schools. Porterfield (2014) says “school administrators today must speak the language of community collaboration, partnership, and engagement” (pg. 41). We must have open means of communication with our community members. We need to allow them to voice ideas and concerns, but we must also hear them and respond. Our schools must build trust within our relationships so that we can collaborate and make our schools successful. Gary (2011) states “that collaboration is the most intense level of community partnership. It Involves programs working together toward common goals that could not be achieved by any program acting alone” (module 3).

Strategies for Effective Communication with Community Partners

McEwan (2011) “ The number one priority of a principal’s job is to communicate in appropriate, productive, meaningful, help, and healing ways with teachers, students, parents, colleagues, as well as a vast array of others, whether individually, in small groups, or end masse” (pg. 2). Schools have a variety of ways to communicate with the community. Principals can write a weekly newspaper column to about the school or about educational topics. We can use our school website to communicate things that are going on within the school, such as weekly activities, lunch menus and services that are offered within the school. School Board meetings are another way to bring the school and community together to voice ideas and concerns, and to collaborate to solve problems. Henderson (2007) “parents, teachers, students, and other partners must have opportunities to express their opinions, preferences, ideas, and concerns- to someone who is listening” (pg. 201). Some suggestions that Henderson (2007) made were; suggestion boxes throughout the community, interactive online chats, informal open forums, neighborhood groups and lunch time conversations (pg. 201).

Collaboration with Community Partners

Gary (2011) “Successful collaborations require everyone’s involvement” (module 3).

When we work with our community partners, they feel like they now have a vested interest in the school. We create task force teams with members from the community, school and families to collaborate on ways to improve schools. They can work on ideas for new programs, school needs, community needs, and the needs of the families. These groups can also meet to hear community concerns and school concerns, then come together to find meaningful solutions.

Henderson (2007) “linking programs and activities to what students are learning should be a basic strategy in any school’s improvement plan” (pg. 107). When communities develop programs to aid students in their studies, school and community leaders need to come together to make sure that the programs are based around the correct curriculum. When these community programs and schools work together the students have a better chance at success.

Adapting School-Based Leadership Strategies

Future Issues and Trends Affecting Schools

[bookmark: _Hlk31461035] Daggett (2014) “while our schools continue to provide a quality education to our students, the world in which our students will live, and work is changing and advancing at an even faster rate than improvements in our schools” (pg. 2). Digital learning is growing leaps and bounds. It is one of the most important aspects in college and career readiness. As educators we must find ways to bring technology into our classrooms to help our students be better prepared for the digital age. The use of tablets and laptops for testing and assignments. Digital games that meet the curriculum requirements are just a few ways we can meet this new trend. Trying to keep this digital age out of the schools is not something we will be able to do, to be successful we must embrace this change. Another trend that is on the forefront and continues to be a huge issue in schools is college/career readiness. How do we make sure students are prepared for their future? Especially with the world around us changing so fast. The requirements for most entry level career positions are a lot more challenging than 30 years ago. The reading level requirements are more difficult than that for college entry. Daggett (2014) explains that “ preparing our teachers to deliver the rigorous and relevant academic experiences that will prepare students to be college and career ready will require focused and sustained professional development, as well as a number of shifts in how we organize the instructional programs in our schools” (pg. 6).

Contemporary and Emerging Leadership Strategies

McEwan (2003) “Change masters have the ability to see what’s coming in the distance and get ready for it” (pg78). In a time where it seems changes come almost daily in education, we must watch closely as new trends emerge and work to be proactive and not reactive. Schools should develop a strong culture that is always ready for change so that when it comes the students school environment is not disrupted or disrupted in the least amount possible. Action teams within the school to create plans to address issues and trends. The action plans can deliver change over a period so that no one is overwhelmed. We also need to continue to use our data to watch student growth and how the trends are affecting our students. We can make changes and judgements base on that data. Daggett (2014) states that “Strong schools address today’s challenges in the context of emerging trends, approach leadership in a way that involves taking control rather than being controlled, and build a strong culture and shared vision of success before trying to implement new initiatives”(pg. 15)

References

1. Henderson, A., Mapp, K., Johnson, V., and Davies, D. (2007). Beyond the Bake Sale. Education.
2. Ridnour, K. (2011). Everyday Engagement: Making Students and Parents your Partners in Learning. Education.
3. Gary, W. and Witherspoon, R. (2011). The Power of Family, School and Community Partnerships. Family- School Partnerships (module 3). Priority Schools Campaign. Resource Manuel.
4. Porterfield, K. and Carnes, M. (2014). Why School Communication Matters. School Administrators-Professional Relationships.
5. McEwan, E. (2003). 10 Traits of a Highly Effective Principal: From good to great performance. School Principals.
6. Daggett, B. (Ed. D.) (2014). Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education. International Center for Leadership in Education (1-16).