School-family-community partnerships: Supporting underserved students in the U.S.

Abstract

The importance of school-family-community (SFC) partnerships have long been established; however, more research, practices, and policies are needed to better understand and support diverse socio-cultural contexts of children from underserved communities in the U.S. Using Epstein’s model on SFC partnerships as the conceptual framework, the purpose of the article is to discuss key influences, barriers, and opportunities in developing best practices for successful collaborations in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The article discusses and provides practical examples of how barriers such as cultural disparities between the home and school, parents’ and teachers’ roles in education, language difficulties, another constraint faced by families can be addressed to foster SFC partnerships. Education stakeholders – teachers, school leaders, parents, and community members – need to establish appreciation, trust, and respect towards each other and learn to value the unique knowledge that each brings to the education table. When education stakeholders are engaged in strong partnerships, students’ academic and nonacademic outcomes are enhanced.