THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP

Ms Sue Foxcroft Dean of Students

Fostering school and family partnerships is one of the most potent ways to maximise student academic outcomes and is a captivating area of study. Outside of Wenona, I am conducting EdD research that explores avenues for school leaders to nurture productive relationships with the parents and guardians in their communities.

A Framework for Involvement

A wealth of research exists, and I have been particularly influenced by the work of Dr Joyce Epstein, a United Kingdom-based researcher, who has developed a framework for six types of involvement: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decisionmaking, and collaborating with the community.

Through this framework, I am examining types, mediums, and frequency of school-parent communication with schools. My lens is honed on students from Years 7 to 12, as there is a clear decline in parent engagement with schools during these years. Part of my goal is to explore ways in which parents can maintain relationships with their children’s school at this time, despite their own burgeoning careers and their offsprings’ increasing desire for autonomy.

Strategic, Not Piecemeal

Focusing on the Catholic sector, I am employing a multi-case study approach, examining two schools with different socio-economic backgrounds. A key takeaway from my research so far, is the realisation that many busy schools lack a designated person to oversee the fostering of family partnerships, resulting in ad hoc approaches to this critical aspect of education.