Parents and Teachers in a Changing World

By: Andrés J. Versage

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

A positive engagement between parents and teachers has been proven to improve student performance, but today, that relationship is increasingly under pressure from social and political tensions. Topics such as LGBTQ+ issues, critical race theory, remote learning and book bans have made this engagement more important than ever. In response, Andrés Versage, a school administrator and doctoral graduate of Fielding Graduate University, uses a variety of fascinating, real-life case studies to show how we can turn this relationship into an alliance that creates more caring and effective schools. In facing the challenges of the moment, this book shares a number of practical, positive steps that each of us can take to make our schools, and our society, more harmonious. In doing so, Versage argues that the transformation of the parent/teacher engagement through a community-centered approach can save public education from the havoc of our culture wars, no matter where we live.

PRAISE FOR “PARENTS AND TEACHERS IN A CHANGING WORLD”
“Parents and Teachers in a Changing World is an important book, and more than that, an important call to action. Based on the author’s EdD work, and rooted in community conversations with parents, the book examines the concepts of parental engagement in learning – but goes beyond this, to situate that engagement in the current political climate, urging parents, teachers, school staff and all community members to work together, critically, knowingly, to support not just the learning of children and young people in school now, but the systems of public education itself.” Janet Goodall, Professor of Education, Swansea University.

“In this text, readers will find compelling stories of diverse Latino families’ contemporary experiences with teachers, administrators, and schools illustrating why and how family/school partnerships require innovation and redevelopment. Intertwined with these often heartbreaking tales are Versage’s own tender stories of growing up with an immigrant parent negotiating similar dilemmas in schools. His empathy is grounded in careful theoretical and historical scholarship as well as thirty years of experience as a teacher and school leader. Further, Versage offers fresh ideas for transforming how teachers and administrators engage families in schooling that celebrates their children’s cultures, knowledge, and skills, propelling them toward further academic success.” Mary Louise Gomez, Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison.