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Toolbox

The toolbox to improve urban school-family partnership contains tested methods which are usable in practice. This specific tool is developed for Introductory parent-schoolmeetings.

Aspects of school-family partnership

School-family partnership starts with a positive, cooperative and reciprocal partnership between school and parents and with well-organized contact with parents. This relationship is the foundation for alignment between school and parents about the pedagogical and educational guidance of their child and about the guidance of the student’s choices during his/her school education. 

Factors for success in school-family partnership

Ten factors for success can be used to help schools focus on improvement. These factors can be divided into three main sections: improving contact between school and parents, developing cooperation between school, parents and students, and guiding and supporting student development. A Quickscan  Secundary education is developed for assessing school-family partnership at your school. 

Tool Introductory parent - teacher conference

One of the tools developed is the Introductory parent-teacher conference. An introductory meeting allows teachers and parents to get to know each other so that they can guide and coach the pupil/student better. It also ensures that teachers and parents do not meet each other for the first time if problems occur. This will create the basis for a reciprocal relationship between teacher and parent in both primary and secondary education.

Toolbox videos

Better cooperation with parents - Preffered option

Better cooperation with parents - Undesirable option

 

Justification

Mariëtte Lusse at Rotterdam University of Applied Science, the Netherlands has conducted extensive PhD research into the parent-teacher introductory meeting. The introductory parent-teacher meeting was studied in five secondary schools (including schools for students with learning disabilities) in Rotterdam. 97% of the parents attended these introductory meetings. These parents were more satisfied about their relationship with the school, the information provided by the school, and felt more invited by their child to participate in their school life than parents who attended a regular PTA meeting. The language version of the introductory meeting was developed in ongoing PhD research on how to facilitate low-literate parents in guiding their child in language development by Martine van der Pluijm, Rotterdam University of Applied Science, the Netherlands.