1. ESTABLISHING AND
MAINTAINING
COLLABORATIVE
RELATIONSHIPS
CHAPTER 10

2. WHY IS THE TOPIC IMPORTANT
• Teachers need many strategies to work successfully with
families and community members to increase their
involvement in children’s learning.
• Teachers must often be the ones to begin collaborations
• Teachers can help to build collaboration from the
classroom to the school level.
• If partnerships are to flourish, teachers and schools need
a wide range of approaches to encourage collaborative
relationships.

3. OBJECTIVES
• Recognize the characteristics of a welcoming school and be
able to develop a welcoming classroom.
• Describe a range of practices to communicate with families
about classroom activities and their children’s progress.
• Devise options for parent involvement along a continuum that
moves from basic to participatory levels to advocacy levels.

4. OBJECTIVES
• Explain appropriate strategies for working with parents with
diverse cultural backgrounds, economic situations, or family
configurations.
• Discuss how to use effective communication approaches in
various settings.
• Identify effective strategies to facilitate community involvement
in schools.

5. GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION
• Clean and pleasant physical and social environment
characterized by:
• Friendly signs in English and other appropriate
languages welcome visitors and show the way to the
main office.
• Front office staff greet parents with a smile and a
positive attitude.
• Space provided for parents to wait comfortably,
perhaps with coffee and some interesting literature
(news, updates, calendar) about the school.

6. Teachers Make Impression
• Summer communication with a postcard, note, or email
• Open House for families and children to visit the classroom
before school begins in the fall
• Home visits
• Back to School Night (meet teacher, see classroom, hear
about curriculum)

7. Teacher Communication Strategies
• Making an initial positive phone call home and establishing best ways to
communicate.
• Providing the school’s handbook on policies and classroom expectations
• Assigning appropriate homework
• Providing parent bulletin board in the classroom
• Sharing classroom happenings through blogs, newsletters, web site, etc.
• Sending home informal notes to share good news
• Offering parent conferences at convenient times

8. WELCOMING ATTITUDE FOR CLASS
• Including parents in classroom special events
• Having an open-door policy on classroom visits and conference
• Encouraging parents to regular or occasional volunteer
• Providing small projects that families can complete at home to assist the
classroom
• Making a special effort to invite male family members to participate
• Inviting parents to share their expertise
• Training parents interested to serve as tutors

9. TEACHER WELCOME ALL PARENTS
• Considering how to overcome barriers that might exist between
the school and families from various cultural, economic, and
lifestyle backgrounds.
• Reaching out to all families in an especially inclusive manner.
• Use inclusive language when defining family.

10. TEACHERS IDENTIFY COMMUNITY RESOURCE
• Thinking about the resources available in the community and the kinds of
activities that community members might be able to provide to the children.
• Suggest field trips into the community to support and enrich the curriculum.
• Inviting community members and organizations to the school for reverse
field trips.
• Inviting local businesses to participate in school and classroom events and
keeping them informed about happenings and needs of the school.

11. TAKE-AWAY
When teachers, parents, and community members form
a relationship of equality and shared responsibility,
schools become strong and children acquire greater
cognitive and social skills.