This is a snapshot of project information archived on 2 September 2022. Please contact the project team for most recent updates.
Children, Families, Schools, and Communities
Subject: Other Education
Book Language: English
Audience: This text is appropriate for introductory undergraduate courses in Child & Family Studies.
Created date: February 11, 2022
Updated date: July 29, 2022
Target Release Date: 2023-01-02
License:
- Attribution
- Non-Commercial
- Share Alike
Needs:
- Classroom Reviewers
- Contributors
- Ancillaries Contributors
Description:
Children, Families, Schools, and Communities
is an introductory text to the field of Child & Family Studies. It offers an in-depth analysis of “family” and its role in the collaborative structures of schools and communities.
Children, Families, Schools, and Communities
is grounded in discussions of gender equity and family as a social construct. It emphasizes the roles of cultural capital, funds of knowledge, and linguistic diversity in the development of effective and impactful collaborative relationships.
Learning Outcomes:
Understand how children, families, schools, and communities collaborate with and influence one another;
Examine the roles of cultural capital and funds of knowledge in building culturally sustaining children, families, schools, and community collaborations;
Recognize and demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of various family structures;
Identify strengths-based approaches to creating culturally sustaining collaborations that honor the linguistic and cultural diversity of families and communities.
Major Emphasis:
Ecological systems theory,
Cultural capital,
Funds of knowledge,
Diversity of family structures,
Linguistic and cultural diversity of families and communities,
Culturally sustaining partnership and engagement models for families, schools, and communities,
Historical and philosophical perspectives of family, school, and community engagement.
About the Contributors:
Joan Giovannini is an Educator, Instructional Designer, and Researcher committed to educational equity and strategies of Universal Design for Learning. She is the Associate Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship at
Springfield College
. Previously, she served as Department Chair and Associate Professor of Education at
Holyoke Community College
. She specializes in teaching coursework in education policy, inclusionary practice, Universal Design for Learning, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Joan began her career as an Americorps VISTA Volunteer, working as a Teacher and Technology Coordinator at an alternative GED program. From there, she moved into community-based work in the field of out-of-school time and then to the community college system as a TRiO Student Support Services Director. Those early professional experiences provided her with insight about the role of Youth Development, trauma-informed teaching, and family-school partnerships for effective pre-service teacher training.
Nikki Burnett is the Executive Director of
Educare
in Springfield, MA.
Sara Scribner
is a former inclusive special educator across a variety of elementary and secondary grade levels. Currently, she is a faculty member at Springfield College.
Short Description:
Children, Families, Schools, and Communities
is introductory text in the field of Child and Family Studies. It provides a lens for understanding the evolving definition of “family” through socially constructed and ecological theory frameworks. It promotes strategies for culturally sustaining and deeply collaborative relationships between families, schools, and communities through the use of home-grown advocacy strategies based on community-driven data.
Children, Families, Schools, and Communities
is an adapted OER text from Rebecca Laff’s and Wendy Ruiz’s
Child, Family, and Community
.
Outline
What is a Family?
Theories That Help Us Understand Families
What is Culture and Why is it Important?
Contributing Author: Nikki Burnett
Nikki Burnett is the Executive Director of Educare in Springfield, MA. More information can be found at https://www.educarespringfield.org/
How Does Gender Influence Children, Families, and Communities?
Parenting Styles
Social Media and Technology
Building Trusting Collaborative Relationships with Families
Welcoming and Supporting Families
Creating Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships
Honoring Linguistic Diversity
Building Collaborative Relationships with Families with Children with Exceptionalities
Contributing Author: Dr. Sara Scribner
Sara Scribner is a former inclusive special educator across a variety of elementary and secondary grade levels. Currently, she is a faculty member at Springfield College. More information about Dr. Scribner can be found at https://springfield.edu/directory/sara-scribner
