Family-Teacher Relationships: To What Extent Do Cultural and Linguistic Capital Matter?

Introduction

Children are known to learn better when such key stakeholders as the parents, educators and the rest in the community work together in a bid to guide and support them in their education and development (Epstein, Sanders, Sheldon, Simon, Salinas, Jansom & Williams,2009; Epstein & Sanders, 2006; Epstein & Sheldon, 2006). Particularly, if educators view learners as children, they are likely to see the family and community as partners with the school regarding learning as well as welfare. It is important therefore, that partners recognize their shared interests in and responsibilities for children so as to create better programmes and opportunities for them.

Indeed, it is worth appreciating the fact that in school-family-community collaborations, all partners benefit in a variety of ways (Epstein, 2013; Mogollon & Solano, 2011). In particular, parental involvement and participation increase the parents’ capacity to learn with their children. They are thus attracted to school to learn and help the teachers. More importantly, such collaboration is known to develop strong parent-teacher partnerships. Here, the parents help the teachers to successfully use curriculum guides and to change their perceptions of the children. Through this, parents give their children more time to study rather than being engaged in household and farm labour (Mogollon & Solano, 2011; Sirvani, 2007)

However, it needs to be appreciated from the onset that school, family and community partnerships cannot simply produce successful learners. Instead, partnership activities need to be designed in such a manner as to engage, guide, energize and motivate the learners to display their own successes (Neperville Community Unit School District, 2013).In particular, the idea that the school is part and parcel of the community needs to be reinforced as this fosters a sense of belonging, including making decisions jointly by the learners, the teachers, the parents and other local partners.Getswicki (2010) observes that the creation of home-school-community partnerships is no longer optional but a key role as well as responsibility of the teacher.

In a partnership, Epstein (1995) advises thatteachers and administrators create more family-like schools which recognize each child’s individuality, thereby helping each child to feel special and included. It is worth noting that family-like schools are open to all the families as opposed to only those that are easy to reach. Similarly, in a partnership, the parents create school-like families which appreciate the fact that each child is a learner as well. This way, the families reiterate the value of school, homework and activities in building the learner’s skills and feelings of success. On their part, communities, which involve groups of parents working together, create school-like opportunities, events as well as programmes that strengthen and recognizelearners for sound progress, creativity and exemplary contributions (Epstein, et al, 2009; Epstein, 1995).

The need for the reciprocal interactions of parents, educators and community partners to understand each other’s ideas, identify common goals for the learners and recognize each other’s contributions to student development is crucial (Epstein, et al, 2009). For instance, teachers who consider parents to be a group of reference are more likely to develop and execute interactions and activities that take into account the roles that parents perform in children’s education. Similarly, parents who understand the teachers’ work and the school’s goals for their children are more likely to communicate with the school and design home activities that support their children as learners (Epstein & Salinas, 2004; Epstein, 1987). Among others, the parents, educators and community partners establish social connections and share information that accumulates as social capital through such interactions. This may be used to enhance children’s school as well as learning experiences.

Mogollon and Solano (2011) as well as Chrispeels and Gonzalez (2006) advocate for the review of the relationship between the parents and the school. This includes the rethinking of the traditional collaboration and mutual aid between the school and the community. Accordingly, the involvement of the parents should be expanded to include making decisions about their children’s education, administration, evaluation, supervision and monitoring. These authors hold that active participation of the parents in the school contributes towards reducing the traditional blaming of the teacher for the learners’ failures. Similarly, such a movehelps to discourage the consolation among parents that children do not learn because it is, say, a rural school (Mogollon & Solano, 2011; Sirvani, 2007).