Preservice Teachers' Participation in Parent-Teacher Conferences in Urban Primary Schools: Bridging Funds of Knowledge and School Literacy Practices

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: Division K Section 6 Poster Session

Abstract

This study examined pre-service teachers’ participation in parent-teacher conferences in urban schools that serve children from low-income households. The adjusted coursework in a reading methods course and practicum requirement aimed to prepare pre-service teachers for cultivating home-school collaborations in urban schools in a climate of challenges of limited parent participation, low-achieving readers, and pre and in-service teachers’ limited knowledge of non-traditional family literacy practices. This study aimed to broaden pre-service teachers’ understanding of parent participation and disrupt the commonly held perspective that families in low-income households do not engage in valuable literacy practices outside of school. Findings revealed enhanced preparation for conducting parent teacher conferences, sustaining home and school connections, and understanding of non-traditional literacy practices

Author

• Kirsten D. Hill, University of Michigan - Dearborn