The importance of what is learned in school: the school-families partnership in perspective

Abstract

This paper examines the results of a project that aimed the strengthening school-family relationship. Considering the demands indicated by one school community (teachers and their students' families) a research and intervention methodology was adopted in an in-service continued teacher education program. The data from questionnaires and interviews with the subjects were considered as well the observational information gathered in the meetings between the researchers and the school teachers and between them with their students' families. With this experience it was possible to construct collaboratively, with the school teachers of 5-8 grade of an Elementary School, school-families approximations strategies. It was considered the schoolteachers and theirs students' families point of view about the educational demands of the students and the importance of the school knowledge. It was possible to know some the school culture aspects and to promote and evaluate teacher professional development processes.