Predicting Strong Family-School Partnerships in German Schools: The Roles of School Principals and Teachers

• In Event: International Perspectives on Promoting Family-School-Community Partnerships

Abstract

In recent years, research on family–school partnerships (FSP) has received increasing attention among German scholars. However, relatively little is known about the roles of school principals and teachers in promoting strong FSP in German schools. In this paper, we examined whether teachers’ perceived supportive school principals and teachers’ prosocialness would be positively connected with strong FSP. Strong FSP were assessed in terms of twelve indicators recommended by the German experts who adapted the PTA’s Standards to the German context for the first time. Analyzing the data of 190 teachers (73% females; 70% secondary schools), the results confirmed the expected positive relations of supportive school principals and teachers’ prosocialness to strong FSP even after controlling for school characteristics.

Authors

• Sittipan Yotyodying, Technische Universität Dortmund

• Swantje Dettmers, Fernuniversität in Hagen

• Kathrin Jonkmann, Fernuniversität in Hagen