Developing Caring Relationships Among Parents, Children, Schools, and Communities

Developing Caring Relationships With Parents, Children, Schools, and Communities focuses on parents and teachers as adult learners, who should be growing and learning along with the children in their care. It is a strengths based approach to looking at parents, families and teachers. It synthesizes the latest theories and research on parent and adult-child relations and on adult learning and development, which focuses on a dynamic process, not a static role and on all the social-contextual factors affecting parents, teachers and children. This book lays out a theory of what parents and teachers need to care for children and themselves and then it shows how the author has assisted parents and teachers to put these theories into practice in pre K-12 schools. McDermott relies on stories and listening to the voices of parents, teachers and children to make her case. She weaves together the latest theories and research with these stories. She uses narratives of actual school meetings, workshops, parent planning and discussion groups, testimonies, newsletters, and research of others in the field, to demonstrate applications of theory and research.She fills a gap by focusing on parents from all socioeconomic background. She challenges components of current models of parent-involvement in light of what is now known about what teachers, parents and families need to grow and develop.Key Features:Focuses on parents and teachers as adult learnersFocuses on the dynamic process of parenting and teachingProvides a theory to practice model to support parents, families and teachers Provides a tool or guide for thinking through problems and finding solutions that take into consideration the needs of all involved