Teachers and Parent—School Engagement: International Perspectives on Teachers' Preparation for and Views about Working with Parents

In: Global studies of childhood: GSC, Band 4, Heft 1, S. 21-27

Abstract

Parent–school engagement has become a goal of education policy reforms around the world and is seen as a critical factor in children's educational success. While the factors that impact on parent–school engagement are complex and varied, there is widespread acknowledgement that teachers play a significant role in the relationships between home and school. Teachers' views, attitudes and beliefs about working with parents and the extent to which they enter the profession well prepared for working with parents ultimately contribute to their experiences of working with them. This article considers international research perspectives on the ways that teachers are prepared in initial teacher education for working with parents, as well as teacher views and experiences. The article argues that the success of parent engagement in policy and practice requires better understandings of how the education profession currently manages and potentially could manage relationships between home and school. Findings suggest the need for international comparative research that maps educational policies promoting parent–school engagement, that identifies the preparation of teachers for working with parents and their professional development needs regarding this, and that takes teacher perspectives on working with parents more fully into account.