Linl'\ing Schools and Parents

School social workers traditionally have functioned as mediators between home and school when a problem that involves individuals has developed. However, these social workers often encounter barriers to achieving excellence in education. To overcome these barriers, social workers must assume the roles of trainer, resource developer, family educator/consultant, and advocate to forge new family-school partnerships. These roles are derived from a primary prevention model and are grounded in the systems perspective. An expanded perspective of school social worker roles is required. This perspective necessitates a proactive approach that focuses on groups and systems. Social workers face the challenge of providing a link between schools and parents. • Traditionally, school socialworkers have served as liaisons between home and school, typically as mediators when a problem has developed that involves an individual or several in-dividuals. Often the dominant concern of this assistance is with the rehabilitation of selected individuals. However, school social workers often face "major human, social, and interpersonal factors which are bar-riers to achieving excellence " in schools, according to a national study on the contribution of school social work to achieving excellence in educa-tion (Mintzies & Hare, 1985, p. 1). In that study, all states surveyed (n = 22) identified the primary school-related barrier as "lack of positive cooperative relationships between and among students, staff, parents and administration " (p. 11). Parental involvement in educational programs requires the help of school social workers who have the professional skills and training to overcome barriers to achieving educational excellence. In this article, the critical roles performed by the school social worker in establishing an