Family, School, and Community Partnerships
Course Overview
TELL 450 is the sixth of seven courses that lead to an ESL endorsement. This course explores the standards, principles, policies, and processes involved when schools partner with parents, families, and communities in fostering and sustaining student development. Particular attention is given to understanding the diversity of the school community and capitalizing on these characteristics in meeting student needs. Participants learn to organize and function in action teams to carry out partnership goals from the viewpoint that diversity is a strong resource in public school classrooms.
This course is designed with the following goals and objectives:
- To introduce the PTA National Standards for Partnering
- To present strategies for engaging parents in the education of their children
- To deepen understanding of how teachers can support parents in the education process
- To explore cross-cultural communication between families and schools
- To examine the funds of knowledge that families and communities provide for learning
- To teach about specific school-based programs that connect schools, families, and communities to promote student learning
Program Materials List
Items marked with an asterisk (*) must be purchased from the publishers.
Family, School, and Community Partnerships—Instructional Guide ($40)
*National Standards Handbook, by the National Parent-Teacher Association (1-800-733-6786) ($4.00)
*Funds of Knowledge, by Gonzalez, Moll, and Amanti (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 1-800-926-6579) (approximately $35)
*Second Language Parent and Family Involvement Case ($40)