Book reaches out to teachers, families

A new book by two educational leadership professors offers practical ideas for teachers and principals to strengthen relations between school staffs and families.

"Reaching Out to Families" by Drs. Jack Blendinger and Linda T. Jones is published by the Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. of Dubuque, Iowa.

The 204-page guide presents strategies and activities for developing successful school-home partnerships by improving communication with parents, helping parents to assist in their children's learning at home, and encouraging parents to participate in school events.

Blendinger and Jones express the belief that the more personal the communication between school and home, the greater its effectiveness.

"We contend that what parents do to help their children learn is more important to academic success than any other factor," said Blendinger.

More than a decade of research on the topic of parental involvement supports the two professors' contentions.

In 1997, Blendinger received the Phi Delta Kappa Outstanding Research Award in recognition of his studies investigating ways to effectively involve parents in their children's education.

As director of clinical/field-based experiences, Jones oversees student teaching.

In addition to their new book, Blendinger and Jones contributed a chapter, "Preparing Future School Leaders to Build School-Home Partnerships Through Authentic Learning Experiences," to the 1998 Yearbook of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration.

The two were invited to contribute to the project because of their work in preparing graduate students studying educational administration to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for putting parental involvement into practice. They do this by engaging the parents in the process of authentic learning through a combination of classroom assignments and field-based projects.

"Creating quality schools for the approaching millennium requires school leaders who know how to reach out to all parents regardless of their socioeconomic status or educational level," the researchers say.