Advancing Effective Family-School-Community Partnerships

Abstract

There is a growing emphasis on advancing family-school-community (FSC) partnerships to enhance the academic progress and well-being of all students. There has been a recent shift in terminology from discussing "family involvement" or "family participation" in schools to promoting "FSC partnerships". Given the importance of FSC partnerships in improving the academic progress and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of students, this chapter will provide the following discussion on advancing effective FSC partnerships. To understand the benefits and impact of FSC partnerships, a summary of the empirical evidence for the positive outcomes of FSC partnerships on children's academic progress and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning will be provided. Qualities of effective FSC partnerships will be presented by integrating the goals of the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health with the principles of system-of-care and with the best practices for school mental health. FSC partnerships have been recognized as a priority at the national level; consequently, a practice group on FSC partnerships was formed as part of the National Community of Practice on Collaborative School Behavioral Health. The mission of this national practice group, dedicated to families partnering with schools and communities, will be presented, as well as the group's activities, successes, and challenges. To provide practical case examples of FSC partnerships, two programs that have built and sustained successful FSC partnerships are illustrated. Finally, the chapter concludes with recommendations for developing and maintaining successful partnerships, as well as ideas for future directions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)