Family and Community
Editor’s Note
The articles on this page touch on the myriad ways in which families and communities serve as essential partners with schools in the education of their children. They probe the impact of policies and practices that affect the relationships between schools, families, and communities, and describe new ways schools and districts can engage these critical sources of support.
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Digital tools help schools reach parents “where they are”
By Suzanne Bouffard
When the Home and School Association at Knapp Elementary School in Lansdale, Pa., holds its monthly meeting, it provides live streaming through AnyMeeting.com so that busy parents can watch and send comments from home. Since starting the live streaming, the association has seen average meeting attendance go from 14 to 43, and parents who weren’t typically involved have become regular attendees.
When Shawn Storm’s sixth-grade class at Strayer Middle School in Quakertown, Pa., used Google Hangout to debate students in another state, parents could watch the debate live through YouTube or read the highlights students posted on the class website via Twitter. That night, parents were able to ask their children detailed questions about what they had done in school during the day, rather than making do with the common middle-schooler shrugs.Continue
Researchers combine school and non-school data to inform interventions and policy
By Patti Hartigan
A few years ago, Milbrey McLaughlin, professor emeritus of Stanford University’s School of Education, presided over a briefing with a group of concerned youth services workers in northern California.
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New study points to successful strategies
By Colleen Gillard
The news that nearly half of students in grades 7-12 have experienced sexual harassment drew headlines around the nation last month, based on an online survey of nearly 2,000 students released by the American Association of University Women.
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