| Citation: | Flanigan, C. B. (2005). Partnering with parents and communities: Are preservice teachers adequately prepared? Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine/resources/research/preservice.html?pid=10625 |
Annotation:
This study's purpose is to examine whether preservice teachers are receiving adequate preparation to meet the goals and standards for school-parent-community partnerships, as set forth at the state and federal levels. The survey results indicated that most college faculty addressed partnering with parents and community in at least one of the classes that they taught, agreed that the topic was important, and felt their graduates were somewhat- to well-prepared to work with parents and communities. Results from focus groups indicated that faculty had concerns about preservice teachers' judgmental attitudes, negative attitudes about parents, mixed messages regarding parental involvement, and teacher education restrictions. These data were collected from college of education (COE) faculty and deans from five Illinois Professional Learner's Partnership (IPLP) universities. An initial two question survey was sent to 20 COE faculty and deans and a more detailed survey was sent at a later date to134 COE faculty. Following the survey data collection, focus groups comprising faculty interested in the topic were organized. This study provides a clear picture of how IPLP universities are preparing future teachers for parent and community partnerships, as well as providing information on how preservice teachers can be better prepared. Future research, including randomized controlled trials, should explore the effectiveness of these strategies in preparing preservice teachers for partnering with parents and communities.
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