Culturally and ethnically diverse parents’ views of home-school partnership responsibilities

Relationships between home and school are critical to support young children's learning and development. However, members of the partnership may have different views on what the partnership entails, especially in the context of culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds. The present qualitative study explored the views, priorities, and preferences of eight parents of preschoolers with and without special education services in their partnerships with school-based members of their child's school. Parents identified as Black/African American or Hispanic/Latine. Thematic analysis revealed three main themes discussed by parents: the role and responsibilities of parents in the partnership and promoting children's development, schools' partnership roles and duties in supporting children's learning, and characteristics that they perceived as critical to a functional relationship. Parents emphasized the importance of communication, trust, and comfortability in home-school partnerships. Implications related to achieving culturally-informed, reciprocal home-school partnerships, and utilizing reflective practices to encourage greater collaboration with parents, are discussed.