BUILDING HOME-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS CAN SUPPORT
CHILDREN WHO STRUGGLE WITH LITERACY
The purpose of this research paper was to determine if home- school partnerships support children who struggle with literacy. A review of the literature on this topic provided evidence that parents are interested in their children's education and their involvement does help to resolve literacy problems. Since home school partnerships result in increased parental involvement, they are considered to be supportive of children with literacy problems. Additionally it was concluded that the school needs to take responsibility for the creation of this partnership. Findings implied that teacher training may be necessary to further the development of optimal relationships between parents and teachers.
While levels of achievement are not always empirically correlated with parental involvement, research consistently demonstrates the importance of parental commitment in their child's education (Finn 1998; Lazar and Slostad 1999). This research paper investigated the efficacy of home-school partnerships for the support of children who struggle with literacy. Since literacy continues to be a topic of concern, and studies show that effort is required to maximize parental interest in education, an investigation into the efficacy of home school partnerships for support of childhood learning was warranted (Cassidy and Wenrich 1999; Lazar and Slostad 1999).
Included in this review will be an overview of the following findings:
(1)literacy, consisting of (a)literacy perspectives, (b)the family literacy perspective, and (c)increasing literacy;
(2)home school partnerships, including (a)studies reflecting home school partnership results, (b)family views, (c)opposing convictions, (d)obstacles, and (e)what parents want;
(3)home school partnership examples, encompassing (a)home-school-community, (b)home school partnership plans, (c)cul...