Building Equitable, Trusting Relationships With Families: A Collaborative Parent-Teacher Conference Framework

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Family, School, Community Partnerships and Teacher Education (Table 20)

Abstract

This session will share findings from a qualitative study examining the Building Equitable, Trusting Relationships (BETR) parent-teacher conference model. BETR is designed for elementary schools and aims to ground parent-teacher collaboration in principles of equity and advocacy, bi-directional communication, family and student strengths, conflict prevention and resolution, and trust. The BETR conference combats school-centric family involvement practices and deficit mindsets about nondominant families. Participants were 3 principals, 6 teachers, and 6 family members from three schools situated within one U.S. Midwestern state. Findings suggest that BETR represents a shift from the past, emphasizes building relationships, helps to balance power in the teacher-parent relationship, and encourages shared communication. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Authors

• Kathleen Kyzar, Texas Christian University

• Tracy Gershwin, University of Northern Colorado