Developing Family, School, and Community Partnerships Through a Parent Expert Group in a Disadvantaged School (Poster 35)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session One
  In Poster Session: Community-Based Approaches to Family, School, Community Partnerships

Abstract

This qualitative participatory action research is contextual to the researcher’s work as Home School Community Liaison in a designated disadvantaged primary school in Dublin and was implemented through the framework of Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model. A Parent Expert Group (PEG) was established to co-develop a series of family literacy workshops for the school community. A focus group session gathered the contributions and thoughts of the PEG and played a central role in this research, which aimed to be democratic, collaborative, and transformative. The genuine engagement of parents in the research design fostered home school links, developed family literacy practices, strengthened community links, increased parental confidence, and raised parent awareness of their ability to support their children’s education while acknowledging sociological factors.

Authors

• Maria Kennedy, Department of Education Ireland
  Presenting Author

• Ann Devitt, Trinity College Dublin
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joanne C. Banks, The Economic and Social Research Institute
  Non-Presenting Author