The Term “Parent Engagement”
A term “school, family, and community partnerships” is a much better one compared to “parent engagement”. The latter term proposes an idea when only parents are engaged in students’ upbringing which is not true. Surely, parents are one of the many parties who have a significant impact on an environment where students live. In other words, the term “parent engagement” limits areas of life which are influential and beneficial for the students. It states that only a family can contribute something to the life of a child. Due to the fact that students live and communicate with people in a family, in an educational institution, and in a local community, all of the interactions are valuable. Hence, parents are not the only ones who contribute to the development of students as personalities and members of society but also to surrounding individuals.
Theory of Overlapping
One of the additional terms is a “social capital” which relates to the information that is shared between members of a local community, parents, and teachers. The information is useful as it improves the learning experience of students. There is also a theory of overlapping which is beneficial to child development and learning. It prioritizes cooperation between parents, teachers, students, and members of the community (Epstein & Sheldon, 2006). All of the parties attempt to improve the existing atmosphere for children to learn and apply their knowledge in the real world. In other words, the theory recommends creating a multidimensional environment for children, where they can be motivated to study better.
The Importance of Education in the Future
the importance of education in the futureChildren, especially in elementary school, might not understand a role of education in the life of an individual. One of the basic elements of a civilized community is literacy. Additionally, every field of labor requires an educational background and qualification. However, children are not able to foresee the difficulties of adult life and the extent of education’s influence on an individual (Epstein & Sheldon, 2006). Therefore, parents, teachers, and community constantly remind students that it is important. Surely, an individual can be uneducated; however, one’s opportunities will be extremely limited. To prevent students from making serious mistakes regarding their future careers, all of the people around them will encourage and even force children to study.
Chapter are Social Capital
The main theories of the chapter are social capital and theory of overlapping. Both approaches concentrate on creating an encouraging environment for children to study. The methods utilize simple interactions and communication with the students as the primary tool to assist them. The extent of the environmental influence on children’s success is the most interesting theme of the required reading. Even though it is obvious to people that the life around children impacts them significantly, it is easy to underestimate some of the factors (Epstein & Sheldon, 2006). The involvement of adults in the development of children is vital for a healthy upbringing.
The discussion forum contains an interesting idea about the partnership as a core component of a successful community. The communities are based on individuals and their contribution to it. Thus, it is in everyone’s interest to invest some effort to sustain the future generation of the group. The only unanswered question is what happens when one of the parties is not involved in child development. As for the theory and its application, the social capital can be used in many ways. The parents of children who study in the same school can communicate with each other, exchange their personal experience, and resolve any issues. Furthermore, the teachers and parents can unite to minimize a negative impact of a communal problem, like adolescent pregnancy.
References
Epstein, J., & Sheldon, S. (2006). Moving forward: Ideas for research on school, family, and community partnerships. In C. F. Conrad & R. Serlin (Eds.), SAGE handbook for research in education: Engaging ideas and enriching inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.