Preparing for parents: how Australian teacher education is addressing the question of parent-school engagement

Abstract

Abstract:Parent-school engagement is widely embraced as a policy and educational ideal, yet to date there are few studies of how teacher education prepares students for this important aspect of their professional lives. In this paper, we consider findings from a recent Australian study that explored how the issue of parent-school relations is currently addressed in Australian initial teacher education programs. The study is situated within the broader policy context of teaching standards. Our findings challenge suggestions that parent-school engagement is largely absent from preservice programs, and although the study recognizes gaps and discontinuities, it also identifies four key domains in which initial teacher education currently prepares students for parent engagement. We argue that students are being prepared for parentschool engagement in a variety of ways, but that there is insufficient continuity to ensure that all beginning teachers have a thorough understanding of how to work effectively with parents. Background: preparing pre-service teachers for parent engagementThe relationship between schools and parents is complex, dynamic and at times, difficult and problematic. Research in Australia echoes concerns internationally that identifies parent-school relations as a contested domain with significant implications for school students, teachers, families and communities (Archer, 2010;Avvisati,

Family-school partnerships: a challenge for teacher education

“…Therefore, more than two decades ago, Shartrand and colleagues (1997) called for more attention towards teachers' professional development concerning school collaboration with families. This call has been repeated many times over the years (Epstein 2013;Epstein and Sanders 2006;Evans 2013;Saltmarsh, Barr, and Chapman 2014;Willemse et al 2016). In particular, the lack of preparation of pre-service teachers has been highlighted as being problematic.…”

Teachers and Parent—School Engagement: International Perspectives on Teachers' Preparation for and Views about Working with Parents

“…This gap is also reflected in the limited research into initial pre-service teacher education programs designed to prepare teachers for working with parents, despite acknowledgement within the field that such preparation is fundamental to their ability to create successful parent partnerships (de Medeiros Rodrigues Reali, & Tancredi, 2004;Epstein, 2005;Saltmarsh et al, 2014). Hence, it is imperative to investigate how education prepares teachers and whether this is meeting current needs.…”

“…In addition, some point out that student practicum placements that include engagement with parents are not always feasible, and need to be managed with care. Such concerns point to the complexities of managing relationships between universities and practicum placement schools, with follow-on effects for this particular area of teacher preparation (Epstein, 2001;Blackmore & Hutchison, 2010;Ho, 2009;Macfarlane, 2009;Saltmarsh et al, 2014).…”

“…Some researchers point out that parent-school engagement is largely taught as a minor component of subjects offered in university pre-service teacher education programs, rather than being provided as a stand-alone subject as such within a university course structure (Katz & Bauch, 2001;Saltmarsh et al, 2014). In Australia, for example, pre-service teachers preparing to teach in primary school are more likely to receive preparation in this area than their counterparts preparing to teach in high schools (Doecke et al, 2008), and there is widespread inconsistency across the sector in the ways that university courses address this area .…”

Anecdotes, Experience, and ‘Learning By Osmosis’: The Role of Professional Cultures in Preparing Teachers for Parent-School Engagement

“…Thus despite policy rhetoric and initiatives aimed at forging stronger links between home and school, these disjunctions contribute to ongoing concerns about the extent to which the policy ideal of parent engagement is able to be achieved at the school level (Epstein, 2001;Bingham & Abernathy, 2007;Saltmarsh, Barr, & Chapman, 2014). In addition, questions have been raised about the ways in which this policy milieu has given rise to changes both in the professional cultures of teaching, as well as in cultures of parenting that have emerged in response to social and policy expectations that parents take a more active role in engaging with their children's education (Landeros, 2011;Saltmarsh, 2015aSaltmarsh, , 2015b).…”