School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools

School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools, 3rd Edition prepares future teachers and administrators to conduct effective and equitable programs of family and community engagement that contribute to student success in school. Renowned authors Joyce L. Epstein and Steven B. Sheldon present the theories, research, policies, and practices that have been shown to improve the design and conduct of partnership programs in diverse communities and at all grade levels. Chapters include a historic overview of early research, recent studies with advanced methods, and many examples of research-based approaches for district leadership and school improvement. All chapters include discussion questions and classroom assignments that professors may use to provoke thinking and help future educators understand that family and community engagement is part of their professional work.

New in this 3rd Edition:

• Updated, streamlined readings make it easy for students to explore early, influential studies that framed the field and recent studies of multilevel effects of leadership for partnerships.
• Comments, discussion topics, and classroom activities challenge students to think deeply about many aspects and issues of school, family, and community partnerships.
• Interview assignments enable students to hear the voices and views on partnerships of practicing educators, parents, students, and others in the community.
• Readings and activities across chapters help colleges and universities meet new standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for graduates to "demonstrate their ability to effectively work with diverse P-12 students and their families."

After decades of research and exemplary practice that confirm that family and community engagement is an essential component of good school organization, most new teachers and administrators still are unprepared to partner with all families to support student learning and development. This book will help professors in Schools, Colleges, and Departments of Education (SCDE) prepare their graduates to understand, organize, and continually improve partnership programs in all schools, with all families, and for all students.

Joyce L. Epstein is Professor of Education and Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University, USA.

Steven B. Sheldon is Associate Professor of Education and Associate Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University School, USA.

"The third edition of this text raises the bar. The authors have captured why family engagement is an inescapable part of every educator’s professional work. This indispensable book belongs on the desk of every teacher educator, classroom teacher, and in the collection of every preservice teacher. I absolutely love this book!"

Patricia A. Edwards, Professor of Education, Michigan State University

"As a result of two pandemics—the COVID-19 crisis and the global racial reckoning—a reexamination and reimagining is taking place about relationships between home and school. Many are seeking guidance to build the capacity of future education practitioners, researchers, and policy makers to create effective partnerships with families and the community. This incredible resource could not have come at a better time."

Karen L. Mapp, Senior Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

"Nowadays, teachers worldwide feel unprepared to establish valuable family, school, and community partnerships (FSP). Attention to FSP is still lacking in many teacher education programs. This valuable book fills a big gap and should be available in every teacher education department. The book inspires new contributions to the field in research, policy, and practice."

T. Martijn Willemse, Associate Professor, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

"I used earlier editions of this text when I was a classroom teacher pursing a master’s degree, and can say, firsthand, that the chapters piqued my interest and boosted my confidence to partner with families—training that I did not receive in my undergraduate education. Now, as a state-level SFCP leader, I recommend this text to institutions of higher education, and will use it to help districts craft their inservice education for practicing teachers and administrators."

Darcy J. Hutchins, Director, Family, School, and Community Partnerships, Colorado Department of Education

"Decades of research have culminated in an unequivocal conclusion: school-family-community partnerships are essential. Now more than ever, educators need to understand effective programs that connect the primary systems responsible for students’ learning and well-being. This resource propels research, practice, and policy in ways that can transform educational partnerships for the future."

Susan Sheridan, George Holmes University Professor and Director, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

"Since I was a graduate student, I followed Epstein and colleague’s work to help develop home, school, and community (HSC) collaborations in Asian culture. The new edition provides practical knowledge for training our frontline teachers and school administrators to integrate HSC in basic education. The rigorous research and evidence-based content also provides insights for our researchers and post-graduate students to improve empirical studies of HSC in Hong Kong and Mainland China."

Esther Sui-Chu Ho, Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong

"The authors and their colleagues have made great contributions to the field of study on family engagement. This excellent book will help fill a huge gap in research-informed practice by educators, many of whom receive little preparation for collaborating equitably with families. I predict it will become an important resource to help future teachers and administrators understand and practice school, family, and community partnerships."

Anne T. Henderson, Senior Consultant. NAFSCE

"This is a must read for teachers, principals, and school health and mental health specialists who have been in the field as well as those just entering. It includes readings that have influenced guidelines for practice, accreditation standards, and leadership at the state, district, and school levels. The authors highlight the importance of teamwork, trust, and mutual respect to create a culture that welcomes all families and corrects sociocultural and contextual inequities that have privileged some over others. There is no better resource to challenge us to think outside of the box on how to prepare future educators for effective collaboration with families and community partners."

Gloria E. Miller, Morgridge Endowed Professor in Literacy, University of Denver

"This book is essential for educators who prepare future teachers, administrators, and researchers on partnership principles and practices that are important for student success. The book presents cutting-edge research that will significantly impact future research, policy, and practice with insightful elements for effective and equitable partnership programs."

Hsiu-Zu Ho, Professor Emerita, University of California-Santa Barbara

"This outstanding book highlights the need to prepare future teachers and administrators to understand the importance of research-based programs of school, family, and community partnerships. It also emphasizes the need for studies of family engagement that extend the research base with new questions and by including multiple reporters. The book is a must-have-reference not only for training future educators and administrators but also for practitioners’ everyday use."

Rollande Deslandes, Professor Emerita, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières