Equity in School-Parent Partnerships reviewed by Teachers College Record

Title: Equity in School-Parent Partnerships
Author(s): Socorro G. Herrera, Lisa Porter, Katherine Barko-Alva
Publisher: Teachers College Press, New York
ISBN: 9780807763780 Pages: 192 Year: 2020

The authors argue compellingly that, in our rush to create strategies and plans, we are not addressing the root of the problem. None of our strategies will succeed until educators confront their individual and institutional biases, until they take the time to listen to and dialogue with CLD families, until they are able to build truly humanizing relationships. In place of a new or updated model, the authors present a “paradigm shift” toward “a more organic approach to making decisions about engaging in reciprocal exchanges through ongoing conversations” (p. 16). Drawing on the work of Paolo Freire, the authors reframe family-school partnerships as a practice of hope and love. “Authentic love,” they write, “guided by principles of social justice, inclusivity, and equality, cannot occur without hope and the genuine desire to listen and learn from the families we serve” (p. 22)

Read the full review here