Fostering School–Family Relationships in Multicultural Communities

This practitioner-friendly resource will help parents and educators with different values and viewpoints to better communicate, understand, and collaborate for the benefit of all children (K–12).

Drawing from personal stories and current research, this book suggests ways in which families and schools can work together to optimize the academic, social, and emotional development of all students, with a focus on diverse students and families.

Utilizing their unique backgrounds as professional educators, scholars, parents, and immigrants, the authors provide vivid descriptions of successful family–school collaborations, powerful culturally relevant educational experiences, effective communication models, and strategies parents can use to become stronger advocates for public schools in their communities. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter are designed to improve communication so parents can better understand the work of schools and, in turn, educators can learn from families.

Book Features:

• Offers a road map for creating a school community grounded in the tenets of integrated, multicultural education.
• Provides tools for creating high-quality communication between families and educators, including guidance for overcoming common obstacles.
• Provides information for parents about how to navigate the school system and its resources.
• Includes reflection and discussion questions that can be used in book clubs or study groups with both parents and educators.
• Contains a list of books that the authors recommend reading and discussing following this one.

Matthew Knoester is a professor and chair of the Educational Studies Department at Ripon College. Maura G. Robinson is a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) consultant and coach to school districts and organizations. Touorizou Hervé Somé is an associate professor in the Educational Studies Department at Ripon College.

"This book’s insightful approach to bridging diverse cultural perspectives within educational settings truly resonates with my professional experiences, and I believe its research, practical strategies, and thoughtful analysis will significantly contribute to advancing dialogue and practice in school–family partnerships. I look forward to supporting this important work and am excited to see its impact on educators and community leaders."
—Patricia A. Edwards, University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University, College of Education

“If we hope to cultivate meaningful, lasting, trusting family–school relationships, we must reimagine what those relationships can and ought to be and then adjust everything we’re doing; the old five easy strategies never, ever work. The authors model something more transformative, stepping us through that reimagining process, contextualizing valuable practical strategies in even more valuable expansions of understanding.”
—Paul C. Gorski is the founder of the Equity Literacy Institute, and coauthor with Katy Swalwell of Fix Injustice, Not Kids and Other Principles for Transformative Equity Leadership

“Fostering School–Family Relationships in Multicultural Communities invites parents and educators to ask the questions that often go unasked about children and schools. It challenges readers to center on what really matters for children, suggesting that if we aspire to raise children who care about others and their world, we must revisit current school practices and provide opportunities for children and youth to question, explore their passions, and wrestle with new ideas. This is a book to be not only read, but discussed widely among educators, parents, and anyone else who cares about children, youth, and schools.”
—Catherine Compton-Lilly, John C. Hungerpiller Professor, University of South Carolina

“This book is an important reminder of how structural and systemic forces are necessary to build and cultivate family–school partnerships and connections. More than a set of recommendations to build individual relationships across difference, this book shows us what can happen when we, collectively and unapologetically, place students front and center in the work of education.”
—H. Richard Milner IV, author, The Race Card, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Education, Vanderbilt University