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Citation:

Swick, K. J. (2003). Communication concepts for strengthening family-school-community partnerships. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(4), 275-280.

Annotation:
The purpose of this article is to suggest ways to improve communication between schools, families, and communities. It draws together various non-empirical sources from diverse disciplines. After indicating that communication is the critical factor in partnerships, the author describes communicationÕs basic foundations and lists attributes that may aid school personnel in establishing trust with family and community members. The article lists four elements that comprise the shared learning process: 1) valuing parent and family input, 2) planning strategies for achieving partnerships, 3) providing feedback for parents and families, and 4) engaging each other in collaborative learning. In addition, four behaviors or processes are recognized as facilitative of parent-teacher communication: 1) nurturance of each other, which creates an effective communication relationship, 2) support for each otherÕs goals and efforts, which empowers everyone involved, 3) partnering with each other, which is a powerful means of strengthening communication, and 4) providing feedback in relation to the parent-teacher partnership. The author indicates that cultural learning needs to extend to our daily interactions and the way we see each other as learners. According to the author, non-verbal communication is the most powerful form of communication influencing parent-teacher partnerships. The author lists features that may improve teacher-parent interactions including maintaining an inviting physical environment, emitting an aura of positive and nurturing communication, knowing cultural rules of interaction (e.g., whether it is acceptable to make eye contact during conversation), fostering positive relations with children (since what children convey to parents provides bases for opinions about teachers), and following through with commitments made to parents.