This document discusses effective collaboration between home and school. It will cover the characteristics of effective collaboration, ways to foster communication between schools and families, and approaches to promote school-home connections. It will also discuss ethical issues to consider, such as confidentiality, consent, disclosure, competence, and conflicts of interest. The goal is to engage all stakeholders, including staff, students, and families, to help students meet with success.

1. Welcome to the Professional Development on
Effective Collaboration Between Home and School
During today’s meeting we will discuss:
• The characteristics of effective collaboration
• Ways to foster collaboration and involvement between parents, families,
and schools
• Approaches to promote school-home connections
• Ethical issues to consider when working with parents and families

2. Characteristics of Effective
Collaboration
To understand how to effectively collaborate, let’s first understand the meaning of
collaboration: “Collaboration is a common effort toward a common goal by participants
who share power” Seeley (1985), the key word being share.
We as educators need to move past The Remediation Paradigm through which we
communicated to our students’ families, but did little to listen and shift to The
Collaboration Paradigm, which involves all dialog with all of the stakeholders
involved. This two-way bridge of communication is the first step towards effective
collaboration.

3. Characteristics of Effective
Collaboration
1. Team Focused and Generous There is a need to work with one another when
collaborating on an activity. This included getting all of the stakeholders input.
2. Two-way Communication - Members need to be able to ask the right questions
rather than getting everyone off track. The participants need to listen to what's being
said and be appreciative for the input given. Everyone needs to be involved and part
of the communication.
3. Select Appropriate Goals - Make sure to have the right people working on the right
tasks. Delegating work is needed, but it's best to find out the strengths of the
individuals in the team before assigning each member a task.
4. Build Relationships/Give and Expect Trust - Collaboration means working together
during which time the group is building a relationship. If any relationship is to be
successful, the team members must trust one another.
5. Diplomatic - The best diplomats are those that show respect.

4. Foster Communication between School
and Families
We are charged with caring for of our country’s most valuable
resource, our future.
It is in the best interest of all that we make the right decisions for our
students to help them meet with success.
• It’s more than a paycheck~
• It’s more than a good evaluation ~
• It’s more than a job ~
And it’s more than just the teachers at this school can do. We must
work to engage all of the stakeholders in this process of education.
They include our staff, our students, and their families

5. Foster Communication between School
and Families
Get to know your community of parents and families.
• Don’t alienate family members.
• Be mindful of various work schedules when planning
meetings.
• Understand that we work in a diverse community filled with
people of different races, religions, cultures, and nationalities
that may not speak English.

6. Fostering Communication between
School and Families
Easy steps to learn more about our students families:
Survey your parents at the beginning of the year.
Come to the “Take a Peek at Your Seat” night prior to school opening.
Share somethings about yourself at our Back to School Night

7. Approaches to Engage Families
Let’s try ~
• Welcome letters – including notices of upcoming meetings
• Open House
• Volunteer sign-ups (please share in what areas you might want a volunteer)
• Town halls to include students
• Morning meetings with the children
• Cultural awareness activities
• Seek parent input on class lessons and how they might help out
• Vary times of parent/teacher conferences
• Vary means of contacting the school – email/phone/text
• Make use of the school web site
• Send out good messages
• Keep parents updated on school and curriculum events
• Ask family members how they can best help us!

8. Approaches to Engage Families
Community Events are also a great yet less
stressful way to get parents involved.
Here is what we do, what can you add?
American Education Week – invite parents in to see a class skit
Neighborhood Clean Up – 4/22 – ask parents to send in gloves and trash bags
Recess – allow kids to pack a picnic lunch and invite parents
Parade through the neighborhood and ask parents to join. This is a great way
for parents with stroller aged children to attend.
Field Trip Chaperons
Your thoughts:

9. Ethical Issues
Some ethical issues that we must keep in mind are:
• Confidentiality
Entrusted with private or restricted information
• Consent
Consent is giving permission.
• Disclosure
All participants know what they are agreeing to.
• Competence
Competence means that people have the appropriate training and experience needed to
get the job done.
• Conflict of Interest
No personal benefit should arise due to working at the school

10. Ethical Issues
We’ll end the presentation with some ideas on avoiding any ethical issues that might develop.
• Confidentiality
• Teachers need to be aware to keep private information secured. Parents need to understand that
some private matters of other children are not for their knowledges, such as test scores and
medical history.
•
• Consent
• Teachers and parents can sign consent forms prior to an activity, thus avoiding any legal issues later.
•
• Disclosure
• Give a hard copy handout of what the activity might involve. If you can send it out ahead of time,
it’s even better. Letting parents know what is expected ahead of time allows them to make a better
choice if volunteering, especially if it is a physical or otherwise demanding task.
•
• Competence
• Offer training to parents for specific events.
•
• Conflict of Interest
• Hopefully our parents are here to be more engaged with our school and their children. We should
not, nor should they ask for or receive any special favors in return for their help.