School, Family, And Community Interaction: A View From The Firing Lines (The Milken Institute Series in Economics and Education)

Most Americans will agree that, among other things, a quality education begins with meaningful interaction between families and schools. Yet as the contributors to this volume point out, several aspects of contemporary American society undermine the critical relationship between schools, families and their communities, and these conditions contribute to the current crisis in American education. This book brings together educators, public officials and community activists who examine the erosion of these bedrock institutions, offering a diagnosis of and prescription for what ails American education.
Blending theoretical analysis with practical insight, the authors of School, Family and Community Interaction consider the factors that encourage or compromise the relationship between today's schools and families. Included in their discussions are such key issues as the fragmentation of the family, the role of the family in children's development, minority and Spanish-speaking families' perspectives on schooling, family/school partnerships and the implementation of family/school/community partnership programs.
This volume offers perspective and vision for anyone wishing to create conditions among families, schools and their communities conductive to the successful education of America's children. It is essential reading for education specialists, public officials and policymakers, educators and community advocates.