Parent/teacher partnerships: parent involvement supporting academic success

This project was inspired by my personal aspiration to become an involved parent in my children\u27s education. The experience led me to a teaching career and encourages me to look frequently at parent involvement practices in my classroom. The research for this project was based on how my teaching team could utilize parent/family involvement to support and nurture the academic success of our students. The final piece utilizes: research as reported in professional journals, collaboration with peers, teaching experiences and daily observation. Family partnership expert, Joyce Epstein influenced and supported my ideas throughout this project, as did the knowledge and professional experiences of my capstone committee. Final data has been utilized to create and promote parent/family partnership strategies among our grade level. Such as the Fifth Grade Parent and Student Handbook, monthly calendars, and a workshop series addressing the needs and topics suggested by parents