Home school partnership: a glimpse of Italian reality

In Italy there are few studies in the literature that attempt to analyze the way in which the family and the school share and negotiate their educational duties, and there is no training for teachers in the management of home-school communication and partnership. We went in an Italian primary school to see how parents and teachers articulate their discourses around the home- school partnership. In the fall of 2010, we organised two focus groups, one involving 9 parents and one involving 6 teachers. The main points during the focus groups were: What is the parent-school partnership for you? What is its purpose? What is it like now in this school? How would you like it to be? Parents and teachers agree that home school partnership is essential ”for training future citizens” (parent) and ”to create well-being and achieve educational success for all children” (teacher). Parents and teachers agree that home school partnership should be based on dialogue and mutual respect. Teacher underline that in the home school partnership it is essential that it is the will of parents to cooperate, if the parents don’t have this will, or they tend to criticize the work of the teachers, the work become more difficult not only for the teachers but also for the children. Since teachers have not received any teacher training in the management of home-school communication and partnership. Teachers have to learn how to do this through experience and work with the colleagues. To manage the home school partnership the agreements with colleagues are essential, for example the teacher of our sample decided a common strategy to communicate with parents: 'When are the interviews with the parents I personally always prefer to have someone (a colleague). We're always two, I mean, a witness is always better.' (teacher) And agreements between teachers and parents are also very important.