Partnering with Parents to Ask the Right Questions: A Powerful Strategy for Strengthening School-Family Partnerships

by Luz Santana, Dan Rothstein, Agnes Bain

How can we make it easier for schools and families to work together on behalf of all students? It all begins by tapping into the different strengths educators and parents and caregivers can contribute to building a strong partnership. Partnering with Parents to Ask the Right Questions , by Luz Santana, Dan Rothstein, and Agnes Bain of the Right Question Institute, presents a deceptively simple strategy for how educators can build effective partnerships with parents—especially those who typically have not been actively involved in their children's schooling. It distills complex, important ideas on effective civic participation into an easy-to-learn process that teaches parents two fundamental skills they can use to support the education of their children, monitor their progress, and advocate for asking better questions and participating effectively in key decisions . Based on more than two decades of work and research in a wide range of low- and moderate-income communities, this book empowers overburdened and under-resourced educators and parents to work together and achieve their common goal of successful students. This indispensable guide includes case studies spanning K–12 classrooms, and it explores ways to assist struggling students, collaborate on IEPs, and communicate with families of English language learners. The accessible and easy-to-use format, field-tested advice, and vivid examples from schools that put the advice into practice make this a must-have for everyone from the classroom to the central office.

Genres: Education, Parenting, Nonfiction, Professional Development

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2016

About the author

Luz Santana, M.A., has modeled in her own life–raising her family on welfare, working on the factory floor, going back to school and then sharing her new skills with others–much of what we aim to accomplish through the work of the organization. She has extensive experience designing and implementing applications of the educational strategy in work in low-income communities, and she is recognized nationally for the participatory trainings and workshops she has designed and facilitated. Luz was chosen as a Community Fellow at M.I.T, and the Merrimack Valley Woman of the Year. She has served as a parent advocate in Lawrence, MA, and as an adjunct faculty member at the Springfield College – Boston Campus. In 1996, she received a Master’s Degree from the Springfield College School of Human Services.

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Partnering with Parents to Ask the Right Questions" is a thought-provoking book! Imagine how much more a school could do, how many more gains students could make if the parents and staff were trained to ask the right questions to address a situation.

The author spells out the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) and then the Framework for Accountable Decision Making (FADM). In QFT, parents learn how to ask questions, make their questions betters, prioritize their questions, strategize how to use the questions, and reflect upon what their learned by working with their questions. In the FADM, parents use those questions when meeting with school personal about any problem or issue - IEP, school shooting that occurred, etc.

The book explains how to implement the QFT and the FADM, and the provides scenarios in which these strategies have been used.

I highly recommend this book!

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

#20 of 2018

I read this in 2 days during PSSAs.

The major concept in the book is to teach/facilitate parents in generating quality questions and having them: Support, Monitor, and Advocate for their child.

The case studies were beneficial and were all from urban areas where great change needed to occur.

I would recommend this book and plan on utilizing the concepts in a community partnership capacity.

[Helen Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can hardly wait to use with the community.

[Mills College Library]

371.192 S232 2016