Schools need to partner with parents to support learning for every student. Towards this, we need to ensure we have equitable means of engaging with parents, as conventional partnerships need to shift to one of working together as equal members at the table. Parents bring their expertise about their child. They know their child better than teachers and principals ever will. At the same time, teachers and school leaders bring their professional knowledge and teaching experiences to the table to support learners. Coming together at the same time means we need to establish a new paradigm which values both professionals and parents as we work together to make a difference for learners .

Partnerships, both home-school and on staff, begin with relationships. We all need to feel that we belong in a school community. Dr. DeLeon Gray of NC State University researched the powerful impact of “belongingness” on students. Belongingness applies to families and staff as well.

Positive Family Partnerships between home and school are crucial. Belongingness applies to families just as much as it applies to students. When parents feel welcomed at their child’s school, it builds trust and allows for collaborative supports of every child’s learning. Developing authentic relationships with families must be equity-driven to ensure that systemic racist practices are dismantled and replaced by equity-centered practices focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. Every family needs to feel that they are valued partners on their child’s learning team.

Positive Professional Partnerships are essential to support student learning. Every school staff member needs to feel belongingness in their school community to foster a climate of trust. Laser-focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion in every school community fosters a thriving learning community. Collaboration between teachers, between teachers and support staff, and between teachers and school leaders, fuel a school’s collective mission to accomplish school goals. Teachers and support staff need to feel belongingness and trust with each other to effectively collaborate with colleagues.

Upcoming book, Momentum: Empowering Learners through Passion, Partnerships and Practice explores the importance of fostering authentic, equity-centered home-school partnerships with families, and professional partnerships to promote collaborative initiatives on staff.