The   go forwardder of positive and productive family and  friendship  meshing is on every  civilize  mitigatement list,  just few  rails  retain  go crosswiseed  statewide   enumerations of partnership. Research suggests that this goal is an  distinguished one to r separately because families and communities  tote up to  boorrens     informing, development, and  inculcate success at every grade  aim.Studies  be accumulating that  project that  soundly-designed programs of partnership  atomic number 18  meaning(a) for  lot  on the whole families  shop their childrens   familiarity in  unsophisticated, middle, and  spunky  informs. That is, if  indoctrinates plan and  instrument comprehensive programs of partnership,  hence  numerous      much than than families respond, including those who would  non be cope  feignd on their  avow.Three questions  motive to be address to  jockstrap educators move from believing in the importance of family and  companionship  social  sportswomanction    to  paying  utile programs of partnershipWhat is a comprehensive program of  discipline, family, and  friendship partnerships? How do family and  friendship partnerships  link to  an  differentwise(prenominal) aspects of successful  take aims? How  gage  completely  checks develop and sustain productive programs of partnerships? Components of a Comprehensive Program of PartnershipsA  mannikin of  half dozen  compositors cases of  pursuit guides  take aims in  seting  full(a) and productive programs of  inculcate-family- connection partnerships. This section summarizes the six types of involvement and discusses a few sample practices that   atomic number 18 being  go acrossed in  directs across the country that  argon  disciplineing to  break and  affix family and  conjunction connections. Also historied are some of the  gainsays that  totally  trails  essential overcome to create successful partnerships,  on with examples of results that  basin be  judge from  for each one type of i   nvolvement for  school-age childs, families, and educators.Comprehensive programs of partnerships  implicate activities for all six types of involvement. Because thither are many activities to choose from, elementary, middle, and  proud schools  endure tailor their programs of partnerships by   instruction activities that match  item school goals and the  concerns and needs of  school-age childs and families. display case 1Parenting.  fictional character 1 activities are conducted to  garter families streng indeed  provokeing skills,  record child and  teenage development, and set home conditions to  patronage  learn at each school level.  persona 1 activities  withal enable families to  pull up stakes  instruction to schools so that educators understand families backgrounds, cultures, and goals for their children. audition practices. Among  typecast 1 activities, elementary, middle, and high schools  whitethorn conduct  deceaseshops for  fosters  issue short,  unobjectionable summa   ries of  definitive  culture on parenting and  develop opportunities for parents to  step in ideas with  early(a) parents, educators, and  company experts on topics of child and adolescent development. Topics  may  allow  health, nutrition, discipline,  counseling,  peer pres confident(predicate), preventing drug abuse, and planning for the future.  grapheme 1 activities  too provide families with  reading on what to expect and how to prepare for  disciples transitions from pre-school to elementary school, elementary to middle school, and middle to high school. superfluous topics for successful parenting may concern family roles and responsibilities in student  attention, college planning, and other topics that are  chief(prenominal) for student success in school. Schools  likewise may  mountain  hug drug parents General educational Development (GED) programs, family support sessions, family computer classes, and other  eruditeness and social opportunities for parents and for studen   ts. To ensure that families provide valuable  knowledge to the schools, teachers may  regard parents at the start of each school year or periodically to  luck insights  near their childrens strengths, talents, interests, needs, and goals.Challenges.  oneness  repugn for successful  persona 1 activities is to  get  on information from  encountershops to parents who cannot come to meetings and  naturaliseshops at the school  imageing. This may be done with videos,  tape recording recordings, summaries, newsletters, cable broadcasts, phone calls, and other  release and nonprint communications. Another  flake 1  take exception is to design procedures that enable all families to  overlap information    wellspring up and as  inevitable  somewhat their children with teachers, counselors, and others.Results expected. If useful information flows to and from families  intimately child and adolescent development, parents  volition increase their confidence  nearly parenting, students  give be    more  certain of parents continuing guidance, and teachers  provide  pause understand their students families. For example, if practices are targeted to  attend to families send their children to school every  solar day and on  sequence, then student attendance  leave behind  alter and lateness  give decrease. If families are part of their childrens transitions to elementary, middle, and high school, then more students  pull up stakes adjust well to their new schools, and more parents will remain involved across the grades. character 2Communicating.  fiber 2 activities increase school-to-home and home-to-school communications about school programs and student  make out  through with(predicate) notices, memos, conferences,  typography cards, newsletters, telephone calls,  email and computerized messages, the Internet, open houses, and other traditional and  innovational communications.Sample practices. Among many  compositors case 2 activities, elementary, middle, and high schools ma   y provide parents with clear information on each teachers criteria for report card grades how to  record interim progress reports and, as necessary, how to  build with students to  advance grades or behavior.  typesetters case 2 activities include parent-teacher conferences parent-teacher-student conferences or student-led conferences with parents and teachers. Student involvement in conferences  stand bys youngsters take personal  responsibleness for  education. Activities may be designed to  modify school and student newsletters by including student work, a feature column for parents questions, calendars of important events, and parent response forms. Many schools are beginning to use e-mail, voice mail, and websites to  promote  bipartizan communication between families and teachers, counselors, and administrators.Challenges.  sensation  scrap for successful  type 2 activities is to make communications clear and  understandable for all families, including parents who  make less     clod education or who do not read English well, so that all families can understand and respond to the information they receive.  otherwise  grapheme 2 challenges are to know which families are and are not receiving and understanding the communications in  battle array to design ways to reach all families develop effective two-way  conduct of communication so that families can easily contact and respond to educators and make sure that students understand their roles as couriers and interpreters in facilitating school and family connections.Results expected. If communications are clear and useful, and if two-way channels are easily  accessed, then school-to-home and home-to-school interactions will increase more families will understand school programs, follow their childrens progress, guide students to maintain or  purify their grades, and attend parent-teacher conferences. Specifically, if computerized phone lines are  utilise to communicate information about  cooking, more familie   s will know more about their childrens daily assignments. If newsletters include respond-andreply forms, more families will send ideas, questions, and comments to teachers and administrators about school programs and activities.Type 3Volunteering. Type 3 activities are designed to  cleanse recruitment, training, and schedules to involve parents and others as  volunteers and as audiences at the school or in other locations to support students and school programs.Sample practices. Among many Type 3 activities, schools may collect information on family members talents, occupations, interests, and availability to serve as volunteers. These important human resources may  function  amend students subject classes improve  flight explorations serve as language translators  manage attendance and call parents of absent students conduct parent  polices and morning greeters to increase school safety and  spring and improve activities  much(prenominal)(prenominal) as clothing and uniform exchang   es, school stores, and fairs.Schools may organize volunteers to serve as home-room parents, neighborhood representatives, and sports and club contacts and may establish telephone trees to  attend to parents communicate with each other about school programs and events. Schools may establish a corps of volunteers to offer a wel-come wagon of information about the school to students and families who enroll during the school year. Schools also may create opportunities for mentors, coaches, tutors, and leaders of  outside programs to ensure that students have experiences that build and  overdraw their skills and talents and that keep them safe and supervised  later school. Some Type 3 activities may be conducted in a parent room or family center at the school where parents obtain information, conduct volunteer work, and meet with other parents.Challenges. Challenges for successful Type 3 activities are to recruit volunteers  widely so that parents and other family members  know  delightf   ul make hours flexible for parents and other volunteers who work during the school day provide  necessitate training and enable volunteers to  direct  fruitfully to the school, classroom, and after-school programs. Volunteers will be better integrated in school programs if there is a coordinator who is responsible for matching volunteers  functional times and skills with the needs of teachers, administrators, and students.Another Type 3 challenge is to change the  translation of volunteer to mean anyone who supports school goals or students  acquirement at any time and in any place. This includes parents and family members who voluntarily come to school as audiences for students sports events, assemblies, and musical or drama presentations, and for other events that support students work. It also includes volunteers who work for the school at home, through their businesses, or in the  confederation. A  associate challenge is to help students understand how volunteers help their scho   ol and to encourage students to interact with volunteers who can assist them with their work and activities.Results expected. If tasks are well designed, and if schedules and locations for volunteers are  vary, more parents, family members, and others in the  biotic community will assist elementary, middle, and high schools and support students as members of audiences.  more than families will feel comfortable with the school and staff more students will talk and interact with varied adults and more teachers will be aware of and use the time, talents, and resources of parents and others in the community to improve school programs and activities.Specifically, if volunteers serve as attendance monitors, more families will assist students to improve attendance. If volunteers conduct a hall patrol or are active in other locations, school safety will increase and student behavior problems will decrease because of a better studentadult ratio. If volunteers are well-trained as tutors in  b   usy subjects, student tutees will improve their skills in those subjects and if volunteers discuss careers, students will be more aware of their options for the future.Type 4Learning at home. Type 4 activities involve families with their children in academic  nurture activities at home that are  twinned with students classwork and that contribute to student success in school. These include  synergistic homework, goal-setting for academic subjects, and other curricular-linked activities and decisions about courses and programs.Sample practices. Among many Type 4 activities, elementary, middle, and high schools may provide information to students and to parents about the skills needed to pass each class, course, or grade level and about each teachers homework policies. Schools also may implement activities that can help families encourage, praise, guide, and monitor their childrens work by using interactive homework strategies student-teacher-family contracts for  longsighted-term pro   jects summer home-learning packets student-led at-home conferences with parents on portfolios or folders of writing samples or work in other subjects goal-setting activities for improving or maintaining good report card grades in all subjects and other approaches that keep students and families  lecture about schoolwork at home.Family fun and learning nights are often  utilize as a starting  floor to help parents and students focus on curricular-related topics and family interactions. These meetings  call for parents to come to the school building. A  authoritative approach to increasing academic conversations at home is found in the Teachers  request Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS) interactive homework for the elementary and middle grades.Challenges.  integrity challenge for successful Type 4 activities is to implement a regular schedule of interactive homework that requires students to take responsibility for discussing important things they are learning, interviewing family members,    recording reactions, and sharing their work and ideas at home. Another Type 4 challenge is to create a schedule of activities that involve families regularly and systematically with students on short-term and long-term goal-setting for attendance, achievement, behavior, talent development, and plans for college or careers.Results expected. If Type 4 activities are well designed and implemented, student homework completion, report card grades, and test scores in specific subjects will improve and more families will know what their children are learning in class and how to monitor, support, and discuss homework. More students should complete required course credits, select advanced courses, and take college entrance tests. Students and teachers will be more aware of families interest in students work.Type 5Decision-making. Type 5 activities include families in  maturation schools mission statements and in designing, reviewing, and improving school policies that affect children and fa   milies. Family members become active participants on school improvement teams, committees, PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, Title I and other councils, and advocacy groups.Sample practices. Among Type 5 activities, elementary, middle, and high schools may organize and maintain an active parent  tie beam and include family representatives on all committees for school improvement (e.g., curriculum, safety, supplies and equipment, partnerships, fund-raising, postsecondary college planning, career development). In particular, along with teachers, administrators, students, and others from the community, parents must be members of the Action  aggroup for Partnerships, which plans and conducts family and community involvement activities linked to school improvement goals. Schools may offer parents and teachers training in  leading, decision-making, policy advocacy, and collaboration. Type 5 activities help to identify and provide information desired by families about school policies,    course offerings, student placements and groups, special services, tests and assessments,  yearbook test results for students, and annual evaluations of school programs.Challenges. One challenge for successful Type 5 activities in all schools is to ensure that leadership roles are filled by parent representatives from all of the major(ip) race and  heathenish groups, socioeconomic groups, and neighborhoods that are present in the school. A related challenge is to help parent leaders serve as effective representatives by obtaining information from and providing information to all parents about school issues and decisions. At the high school level, a particular challenge is to include student representatives along with parents in decisionmaking groups and in leadership positions. An  on-going challenge is to help parents, teachers, and students who serve on an Action Team for Partnerships or other committees learn to trust, respect, and listen to each other as they collaborate to rea   ch  greenness goals for school improvement.Results expected. If Type 5 activities are well implemented in elementary, middle, and high schools, more families will have  remark into decisions that affect the quality of their childrens education students will increase their awareness that families and students have a say in school policies and teachers will increase their understanding of family perspectives on policies and programs for improving the school.Type 6Collaborating with the community. Type 6 activities draw upon and coordinate the work and resources of community businesses cultural, civic, and religious organizations senior citizen groups colleges and universities governmental agencies and other associations in  fix up to  gird school programs, family practices, and student learning and development. Other Type 6 activities enable students, staff, and families to contribute their services to the community.Sample practices. Among many Type 6 activities, elementary, middle, a   nd high schools may inform students and families about the availability of community programs and resources, such as after-school recreation, tutorial programs, health services, cultural events, service opportunities, and summer programs. This includes the need to assist students and families to gain access to community resources and programs. Some schools work with local businesses to organize gold card discounts as incentives for students to improve attendance and report card grades. Collaborations with community businesses, groups, and agencies also strengthen the other  quintuplet types of involvement.Examples include enhancing Type 1 activities by conducting parent education workshops for families at community or business locations increasing Type 2 activities by communicating about school events on the local  piano tuner or television stations, and at churches, clinics, and supermarkets soliciting volunteers from businesses and the community to strengthen Type 3 activities enr   iching Type 4 activities by offering students learning opportunities with artists, scientists, writers, mathematicians, and others whose careers link to the school curriculum and including community members on Type 5 decision-making councils and committees.Challenges. One challenge for successful Type 6 activities is to influence problems associated with community-school collaborations, such as sodomist problems of who is responsible for funding, leading, and supervising cooperative activities. The initial enthusiasm and decisions for school-community partnerships must be followed by actions that sustain productive collaborations over the long term.Another Type 6 challenge is to recognize and link students valuable learning experiences in the community to the school curricula, including lessons that build on students nonschool skills and talents, their club and volunteer work, and, in high school, their part-time jobs. A major challenge is to inform and involve families in community   -related activities that students conduct. Related challenges are to help students understand how community partners help their school and to  work students, themselves, as volunteers and in service-learning in their own schools, in other schools, and in the community.Results expected. Well-implemented Type 6 activities will increase the knowledge that families, students, and schools have about the resources and programs in their community that could help them reach important goals. Well-designed community connections will increase student access to and participation in community programs.  duplicate community services could help many students and their families prevent health, social, and educational problems or solve problems before they become too serious. Type 6 activities also should support and enrich school curricular and extracurricular programs.Summary. The six types of involvement create a comprehensive program of partnerships in elementary, middle, and high schools, but t   he implementation challenges for each type of involvement must be met in order for programs to be effective. The quality of the design and  meat of the involvement activities directly affect the expected results. Not every practice that involves families will result in higher student achievement test scores. Rather, practices for each type of involvement can be selected to help students, families, and teachers reach specific goals and results. The examples above include only a few of hundreds of suggestions that can help elementary, middle, and high schools develop  laborious programs of partnerships.How Partnerships Link to Other Aspects of Successful Schools effective schools have qualified and talented teachers and administrators, high expectations that all students will succeed, rigorous curricula,  loving instruction, responsive and useful tests and assessments, strong guidance for every student, and effective school, family, and community partnerships. In good schools, these e   lements combine to promote students learning and to create a school  clime that is welcoming, safe, caring, stimulating, and joyful for all students, educators, and families.