Parents of Pacific learners are clear about what they want their childrens' teachers to know. Teachers can make good sense of such knowledge when it is gifted to them if they are well-supported. This article is a preliminary account of a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative project, Learning From Each Other. The article describes an…

Following the nationwide lockdown, one thing is clear: the progress that children have made in terms of their learning varies hugely, further entrenching the educational inequity that exists and which fuels the lifelong social and economic divide. Drawing on research indicating that parental involvement in their child's learning makes a difference…

Amid the pandemic, the education sector experienced rapid and profound transformations. Notably, the Philippines transitioned from traditional face-to-face instruction to the realm of distance learning, impacting students, particularly those with disabilities. This shift, called Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT), underscored the imperative of…

According to Randi Weingarten, attacks on public education are not new. The difference today is that the attacks are intended to destroy it. Over the last three years, legislators in 45 states proposed hundreds of laws placing public schools at the center of culture wars: laws seeking to ban books from school libraries; laws restricting what…

Middle school brings rapid developmental changes for adolescents, and parent engagement is as essential as ever. However, what worked for parent-teacher partnerships in elementary school doesn't fit so well in middle school. Adolescents are building their autonomy, and teachers must help empower parents' efforts to bolster students as independent…

This article is a reflective piece. It asks questions to support discussions in staffrooms and team meetings about what a 'new normal' could look like in schools. The author advocates a better partnership between teachers, students and parents in which they adopt a more equitable relationship built on mutual respect and trust - a partnership where…

In this article, Jennifer L. McCarthy Foubert draws attention to Black parents' collective school engagement. Applying critical race theory's critique of liberalism as a theoretical frame, she argues that Black parents who participated in her qualitative multicase study resisted white supremacy as they engaged for the collective in everyday school…

Communication plays a critical role in building and supporting healthy interpersonal relationships. American teacher development standards recognise this and outline the importance of communication in relationship-building with both parent and student to create a successful learning environment. However, although available research points to the…

Immigrant parents' involvement in schools is often situated in literature within a framework of barriers and challenges that presumes deficit. "What if we describe (immigrant) parents through a framework of agency and knowledge? What would support from school and teachers look like, if they see parents in an agentic role? What would it mean…

The draft early learning strategic plan "He Taonga Te Tamaiti/Every Child a Taonga" (Ministry of Education, 2018) has a goal to improve quality by regulating for 100% teachers in teacher-led services. This proposal assumes a distinct separation between teachers and parents, and between services employing professional teachers and those…

This report offers insight into a reflective and critical practitioner's role in carefully planning an environment that reflects young children's need for independence. Education as an agent of liberation is the key to the child obtaining that freedom and achieving independence. It is argued that liberation can only be achieved when an effective…

The earliest experiences of children can ensure their future success, and parenting is noted to be an influential factor (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Lamb et al., 2002). Many researchers theorized that parental involvement could encourage children to actively engage and improve their academic achievement in schools (Epstein, 2018). However, less…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is inherently relational, shaped by the interactions children have within their homes, schools, and communities. Grounded in ecological systems theory, this chapter explores how family-school-community partnerships can serve as a powerful mechanism for promoting SEL and fostering positive developmental outcomes.…

The purpose of this study is to present a review of instruments developed to measure perceptions of special educators regarding their competencies and to provide a synthesis of research studies using these measurement instruments. A total of 29 studies were included in this review, and 20 instruments were used across the studies. The results were…

In this column, I consider the important supporting players for an early childhood music educator: classroom teachers, administrators, support staff, parents and caregivers, and children. I argue that it is vital for early childhood music educators to view these individuals as part of their "village" and reach out to make connections…