Directory UMM :Data Elmu:jurnal:I:International Journal of Educational Management:Vol11.Issue6.1997:

A re-engineering framework for total home-school
partnership
Wai M ing Tam
The Centre for Researc h and Development, The Hong Kong Institute of Educ ation,
Hong Kong
Yin Cheong Cheng
The Centre for Researc h and Development, The Hong Kong Institute of Educ ation,
Hong Kong
Wing M ing Cheung
The Centre for Researc h and Development, The Hong Kong Institute of Educ ation,
Hong Kong
Aims to develop a framework
that can provide a total
conception of home-school
partnership and can be used
to re-engineer the existing
superfi cial and fragmentary
practice of home-school
co-operation in both Hong
Kong and international
contexts. Argues that, using

this framework to re-engineer
the traditional home-school
relationship and achieve total
home-school partnership, the
school, family, education
authority, as well as the
community should each take
on new and differentiated
roles and should fulfi l the
functions and expectations as
described in the framework.
Addresses how the total
home-school partnership can
contribute to the effectiveness of school education
according to the seven models of school effectiveness:
the goal model, the systemresource model, the process
model, the strategic-constituencies model, the legitimacy model, the organizational learning model and the
ineffectiveness model.

This paper was adapted from

a paper presented at the
European Conference on
Educational Research in
Seville, Spain, September
1996

Pa r en ta l involvem en t in sch ool edu ca tion h a s
been str on gly em ph a sized in effective sch oolin g in cu r r en t edu ca tion a l r efor m s in differ en t pa r ts of th e wor ld. Th e con ception a n d
pr a ctice of h om e-sch ool co-oper a tion m ay
va r y a cr oss con texts a n d cu ltu r es. In gen er a l,
th e tr a dition a l a ppr oa ch to h om e-sch ool cooper a tion often em ph a sizes a division of
la bou r between h om e a n d sch ool. Th e sch ool
is m a in ly r espon sible for th e ch ildr en ’s
cogn itive developm en t, wh ile th e fa m ily is
m a in ly r espon sible for satisfyin g th e ch ildr en ’s
m a ter ia l a n d em otion a l n eeds (E pstein , 1992),
a n d th ese two fu n ction s m ay often be u n r ela ted in pr a ctice, pa r ticu la r ly in developin g
cou n tr ies. Th e tr a dition a l r ela tion sh ip
between h om e a n d sch ool m ay be su per ficia l
a n d fr a gm en ta r y a n d ca n n ot pr om ise r ea l

co-oper a tion a n d effective edu ca tion to
stu den ts, wh eth er in sch ool or a t h om e.
Alth ou gh m a n y edu ca tor s a n d policy
m a k er s a r e com in g to r ea lize th e im por ta n ce
of h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip (e.g. Davies, 1991;
E du ca tion Com m ission , 1992; Reddin g, 1991),
m a n y pr oblem s r em a in u n r esolved. For
exa m ple, h ow th e h om e-sch ool r ela tion sh ip
sh ou ld be con ceptu a lized a n d u n der stood a n d
h ow h om e-sch ool co-oper a tion sh ou ld be
developed m or e effectively a r e still su bject to
investiga tion . Respon din g to th e ga ps in th eor y bu ildin g for u n der sta n din g h om e-sch ool
pa r tn er sh ip a n d fa cilita tin g its im plem en ta tion , th is pa per a im s to develop a th eor etica l
fr a m ewor k th a t ca n pr ovide a tota l con ception of h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip a n d ca n be
u sed to r e-en gin eer th e existin g su per fi cia l
a n d fr a gm en ta r y pr a ctice of h om e-sch ool cooper a tion in both Hon g Kon g a n d in ter n a tion a l con texts. It is h oped th a t th is fr a m ewor k cou ld con tr ibu te to on goin g policy discu ssion , sch ool pr a ctice, a n d fu r th er r esea r ch
on h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip.

Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f
Educ atio nal Manage me nt

1 1 / 6 [ 1997] 2 7 4 –2 8 5

Demand for a new home-school
partnership

© MCB Unive rsity Pre ss
[ ISSN 0951-354X]

In th e r ecen t deca de, th e edu ca tion en vir on m en t of Hon g Kon g a n d th e Asia P a cifi c

[ 274 ]

r e gion s h ave u n der gon e dr a stic ch a n ges.
P a r en ts h ave h igh er a n d m or e diver se expecta tion s a bou t sch ool edu ca tion a n d dem a n d
better sch ool per for m a n ce for th eir ch ildr en .
Beca u se sch ool edu ca tion is ba sica lly
fin a n ced by th e ta xpayer s, th er e is a lso a n
in cr ea sin g dem a n d for a ccou n ta bility to th e
pu blic a n d va lu e for m on ey (E du ca tion a n d
Ma n power Br a n ch , 1991). Th is h a s for ced

sch ools to open m or e ven u es for pa r en ts to
pa r ticipa te, to listen to th eir n eeds a n d su ggestion s, a n d to wor k co-oper a tively togeth er
to im pr ove th e sch ool. Adva n ces in in for m a tion tech n ology en a ble th e m a ss m edia to
pen etr a te deeply in to fa m ily life a n d sch ool
edu ca tion . Th is h a s sign ifica n tly wea k en ed
th e r ole of edu ca tion pr ovided to ch ildr en in
sch ools a n d fa m ilies.
In th is r a pidly ch a n gin g edu ca tion en vir on m en t, fa m ily edu ca tion for ch ildr en is fa cin g
m a n y pr oblem s. For exa m ple, pa r en ts la ck
tim e a n d pr oper pa r en ta l tr a in in g to tea ch
th eir ch ildr en . Th ey often do n ot u n der sta n d
th eir ch ildr en well. Th eir pa r en tin g m eth ods
do n ot m a tch th e n eeds of th e ch ildr en . P r eviou sly, th e fa m ily w a s a r a th er sta ble u n it
pa r ticu la r ly in tr a dition a l Asia n societies bu t
n ow m a n y fa m ily u n its a r e gr a du a lly disin tegr a tin g a n d h ave differ en t types of fa m ily
pr oblem s (e.g. sin gle pa r en t fa m ily, pa r en t
a bsen ce fr om th e fa m ily, etc.). Th e ch ildr en of
th ese fa m ilies la ck pa r en ta l ca r e a n d h ave
lim ited ch a n ce for a wh olesom e fa m ily edu ca tion for ch ildr en . Poor fa m ily edu ca tion often
r esu lts in stu den ts’ pr oblem s in sch ools.

Sch ool edu ca tion is a lso fa cin g a n u m ber of
pr oblem s in th e cu r r en t ch a n gin g edu ca tion
en vir on m en t. Som e im por ta n t exa m ples of
pr oblem s m ay in clu de declin in g a ca dem ic
sta n da r ds of stu den ts, ser iou s stu den t
beh aviou r a l pr oblem s, in a dequ a te tr a in in g of
th e tea ch er s, r igid cu r r icu lu m , poor
com m u n ica tion between tea ch er s a n d
pa r en ts, a n d in a ppr opr ia te tech n ology for
m a n a gin g, tea ch in g a n d lea r n in g. Ma n y
tea ch er s tr y to dea l w ith th ese in cr ea sin gly
com plica ted edu ca tion pr oblem s by r elyin g

Wai Ming Tam,
Yin Che o ng Che ng and
Wing Ming Che ung
A re -e ngine e ring frame wo rk
fo r to tal ho me -sc ho o l
partne rship
Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f

Educ atio nal Manage me nt
1 1 / 6 [1 9 9 7 ] 2 7 4 –2 8 5

on tr a dition a l a ppr oa ch es of tea ch in g a n d a
pa ssive r ela tion sh ip w ith pa r en ts.
F a cin g th e existin g ch a llen ges to sch ools
a n d fa m ilies, th er e is a str on g dem a n d for
n ew h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ips to pr ovide
effective edu ca tion for ch ildr en (Ber ger, 1987;
Ch en g, 1991; Davis, 1991; Wa lla ce a n d Wa lber g, 1991). Yet u n for tu n a tely, m a n y sch ool
pr a ctition er s a n d pa r en ts do n ot u n der sta n d
th e n a tu r e a n d poten tia l ben efits of fu ll h om esch ool pa r tn er sh ip a n d still h ave ver y tr a dition a l a n d bia sed beliefs a bou t th e h om esch ool r ela tion sh ip. Th ey ca n n ot m a xim ize
a ll th e ben efits fr om th is pa r tn er sh ip to both
fa m ily edu ca tion a n d sch ool edu ca tion for
ch ildr en . Th e existin g pr a ctice of h om esch ool r ela tion sh ip is often fr a gm en ted a n d
lim ited w ith poor ou tcom es, pa r ticu la r ly in
Hon g Kon g (E du ca tion Com m ission , 1992;
E du ca tion Depa r tm en t, 1994; P a n g, 1994).
T r a d it ion a lly, p eop le oft en a ssu m e t h a t t h e
r esp on s ib ilit y of ed u ca t in g a n d ca r in g for

ch ild r en in t h e d ay t im e en t ir ely r est s w it h
t h e sch ool, a n d p a r en t s r esu m e t h is
r espon sibility in th e even in g. For exa m ple, in
Hon g Kon g it is often a ssu m ed th a t sch ool
edu ca tion is th e pr er oga tive of th e sch ool, th e
pa r en ts h ave in gen er a l n o r igh t to in ter fer e.
It is on ly wh en th e stu den ts ca u se pr oblem s
in sch ool th a t th e pa r en ts w ill be ca lled in . In
m a n y ca ses, th e r ela tion sh ip between sch ool
a n d fa m ily is h a ph a za r d, a n d is often
dom in a ted by th e sch ool. P a r en ts on ly ta k e a
pa ssive position .

Obviou sly, th is type of ad h oc a n d fr a gm en ted
con cept of r elation sh ip ca n n ot fit well with th e
pr esen t ch a n gin g edu cation envir on m en t a n d
does n ot h elp stu den ts’ wh olesom e developm en t in sch ool a n d fa m ily.

The emerging new conception
Respon din g to th e lim ita tion s of tr a dition a l

h om e-sch ool r ela tion sh ip, som e edu ca tor s
a n d sch ola r s u r ge th e developm en t of a m or e
com pr eh en sive h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip. It is
believed th a t even th ou gh sch ool a n d fa m ily
ser ve differ en t fu n ction s, it is n ecessa r y to
h ave close a n d system a tic h om e-sch ool cooper a tion if th ey w a n t to fu lfi l th ese fu n ction s
effectively (Ch en g, 1991; E pstein , 1992;
E pstein a n d Da u ber, 1991; Reddin g, 1991;
Wa lla ce a n d Wa lber g, 1991). Som e n ew idea s
a n d con cepts of h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip
h ave em er ged in r ecen t yea r s. Ta ble I
su m m a r izes som e m a in ch a r a cter istics of th e
tr a dition a l a n d th e em er gin g n ew con ception s of h om e-sch ool r ela tion sh ip.
Th e tr a dition a l con ception of th e h om esch ool r elation sh ip a ssu m es th at sch ool edu ca tion is a pr ivilege bestowed on th e stu den ts a n d
th eir pa r en ts a n d th at sch ool is th e on ly pla ce
th at ch ildr en ca n r eceive edu cation . For exa m ple, in Hon g Kon g edu cation of ch ildr en in th e
fa m ily is often per ceived a s a m ea n s to su pplem en t sch ool edu cation . Fu r th er m or e, th e
tr a dition a l con ception a ssu m es th at th e pa r en ts h ave n o pr ofession a l k n owledge to tea ch

Table I

The traditio nal and ne w c o nc e ptio ns o f ho me -sc ho o l re latio nship
Traditional conception

New conception

Sc hool educ ation is a privilege
bestowed on students and their
parents. Henc e, parents should
submit to the will of the sc hool

Sc hool educ ation is a servic e and
requires c o-operation between the
family and the sc hool

Sc hool is the only plac e c hildren c an
rec eive formal educ ation, educ ation
in family only serves supplementary
purpose

Educ ation in sc hool and family

educ ation are important and c an
c omplement eac h other. Henc e
sc hool and family need to c o-operate

The roles of school and parents in
educating children

Parents are unfit to educ ate their
c hildren bec ause they are not trained
professionally; therefore, they should
only take up a passive role

Parents have better knowledge of
their c hildren’ s personality and
developmental needs, and c an have a
stronger influenc e on their c hildren –
they should take up a more ac tive role

The characteristics of home-school
relationship

Sc hool and family often have low
levels of c ontac t and one-way
c ommunic ation

Home-sc hool c o-operation inc ludes
many levels of involvement and may
even involve shared dec ision making

Contac ts between sc hool and family
are mostly short-term and arise
bec ause spec ial events c ome up
Often for remedial purposes

Contac ts between sc hool and family
are frequent, with c lear aims and
systematic planning
Largely for developmental and
preventive purposes

The nature of school education
and family education for children

[ 275 ]

Wai Ming Tam,
Yin Che o ng Che ng and
Wing Ming Che ung
A re -e ngine e ring frame wo rk
fo r to tal ho me -sc ho o l
partne rship
Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f
Educ atio nal Manage me nt
1 1 / 6 [1 9 9 7 ] 2 7 4 –2 8 5

th eir ch ildr en . Hen ce, sch ool sh ou ld play th e
dom in a n t r ole in edu cation , a n d pa r en ts
sh ou ld play th e su bor din a te r ole a n d sh ou ld
su bm it pa ssively to sch ool’s r equ ir em en ts a n d
a r r a n gem en ts. Ba sed on th is con ception , th e
fou n da tion for co-oper a tion is wea k a n d th e
r ela tion sh ip is n ot a pa r tn er sh ip between
sch ool a n d h om e in edu catin g ch ildr en . Pa r en ts cou ld on ly be involved in a lim ited w ay in
sch ool edu ca tion , a n d m a in ly in m a tter s r ela tin g to da ily sch ool oper a tion . Com m u n ica tion
between h om e a n d sch ool is often a d h oc a n d
on e w ay, com in g fr om tea ch er s to pa r en ts, a n d
a r ises beca u se pr oblem s com e u p a n d r equ ir e
solu tion s.
On th e oth er h a n d, th e em er gin g n ew
con ception a ssu m es th at sch ool edu ca tion is a
ser vice, th a t sch ool edu ca tion a n d h om e
edu ca tion for ch ildr en a r e equ a lly im por ta n t
in ch ildr en ’s developm en t, a n d th at on ly
th r ou gh co-oper a tion ca n sch ool a n d fa m ily
fu lfil th eir fu n ction s to edu ca te a n d develop
ch ildr en effectively. Ma n y pa r en ts m ay
la ck pr ofession a l k n ow ledge in edu ca tion ,
bu t beca u se th ey h ave better u n der sta n din g
of th eir ch ildr en ’s per son a lity a n d
developm en ta l n eeds, th ey ca n h ave a str on ger
in flu en ce on th eir ch ildr en . Th er e is a sou n d
ba sis for th eir ta k in g a m or e a ctive r ole a n d
for m in g a pa r tn er sh ip w ith th e sch ool to
edu ca te ch ildr en . F r om th e n ew per spective,
h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ips ca n be a con tin u ou s
pr ocess of co-oper a tion , involvin g both
tea ch er s a n d pa r en ts w ith clea r a im s a n d
system a tic effor ts to edu ca te ch ildr en n ot on ly
in sch ool bu t a lso in th e fa m ily. Th e pa r tn er sh ip is com pr eh en sive, two-w ay, equ a l,

Figure 1
The c o nc e ptual frame wo rk o f to tal ho me -sc ho o l partne rship
Sc ho o l e duc atio n
Teachers/ administrator
Behavioural

Family e duc atio n
Students

Behavioural

Co gnitive

Co gnitive

Co gnitive

Individual

Individual

Individual

Gro up

Gro up

Gro up

Sc ho o l

Sc ho o l

Sc ho o l

Pare nts
partic ipate

Ho me -sc ho o l
c o -o pe ratio n

Sc ho o l
assists

Suppo rt
Educ ation authority/ sc hool sponsoring body/ c ommunity/ other sc hools

[ 276 ]

A framework of total home-school
partnership
Ba sed on th e con ception of Ch en g (1996) a n d
Ch en g a n d Ta m (1994), th is pa per a im s a t
r econ ceptu a lizin g h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ips
in to a tota l fr a m ewor k th a t ca n be u sed to r een gin eer th e existin g pr a ctice. In th is fr a m ewor k , th er e a r e two m ea n in gs to th e tota l
h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip. F ir st, pa r tn er sh ip
m ea n s th a t fa m ilies a r e in volved in differ en t
a spects of sch ool edu ca tion a n d su ppor t th e
sch ool th r ou gh va r iou s m ea n s (Ch en g, 1991).
On th e oth er h a n d, it a lso m ea n s th a t th e
sch ool em power s th e pa r en ts to str en gth en
differ en t a spects of edu ca tin g ch ildr en in th e
fa m ily a n d h elps th em to pa r ticipa te in sch ool
edu ca tion . Th e r ela tion sh ip between h om e
a n d sch ool is m u tu a lly su ppor ted a n d cooper a tive a t th r ee levels (th e in dividu a l,
gr ou p, a n d wh ole sch ool levels) a n d in th r ee
dom a in s (i.e. th e a ffective, beh aviou r a l, a n d
cogn itive dom a in s). Sin ce th e co-oper a tion
between h om e a n d sch ool is ver y com pr eh en sive, cover in g m u lti-levels a n d m u lti-dom a in s
of sch ool edu ca tion a n d fa m ily edu ca tion for
ch ildr en , th is co-oper a tive r ela tion sh ip is
th er efor e ca lled a “tota l h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip”. Th e fr a m ewor k of tota l h om e-sch ool
pa r tn er sh ip is illu str a ted in F igu r e 1 a n d ca n
be expla in ed a s follow s:

Behavioural
Affe c tive

Affe c tive

Affe c tive

Parents

em power in g a n d la r gely for developm en ta l
pu r poses. Bu t u n for tu n a tely, h om e-sch ool
pr a ctice is m ostly dom in a ted by th e
tr a dition a l con cepts, pa r ticu la r ly in Asia n
a r ea s like Hon g Kon g. Th e ba sis for cooper a tion is wea k , a n d is n ot h elpfu l to
ch ildr en ’s edu ca tion . Ma n y a ca dem ics a n d
pr a ctition er s begin to r ea lize its lim itation
a n d a dvoca te n ew con cepts of h om e-sch ool
pa r tn er sh ip (Ber ger, 1987; Ch en g, 1991; Davies,
1991; Pa n g, 1994; Wa lla ce a n d Wa lber g, 1991).

Students’ school education
In gen er a l, th e pu r pose of sch ool edu ca tion is
to fa cilita te stu den ts in differ en t a spects of
th eir developm en t. For exa m ple, th e Ch in ese
edu ca tion tr a dition em ph a sizes th e stu den ts’
ba la n ced developm en t in th e m or a l,
in tellectu a l, physica l, socia l, a n d a esth etic
dom a in s. Con ceptu a lly, a h olistic sch ool edu ca tion m ay con sist of a ctivities a n d pr ocesses
for stu den ts’ developm en ts in th r ee ba sic
dom a in s: beh aviou r a l, a ffective, a n d cogn itive; a n d a t th r ee levels: in dividu a l, gr ou p, a n d
sch ool (Ch en g, 1996; Ch en g a n d Ta m , 1994).
At th e in dividu a l level, sch ool edu ca tion
a im s a t bu ildin g in dividu a l ch a r a cter,
developin g in tellectu a l power, etc. At th e
gr ou p level, stu den ts a r e h elped to lea r n to

Wai Ming Tam,
Yin Che o ng Che ng and
Wing Ming Che ung
A re -e ngine e ring frame wo rk
fo r to tal ho me -sc ho o l
partne rship
Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f
Educ atio nal Manage me nt
1 1 / 6 [1 9 9 7 ] 2 7 4 –2 8 5

develop th e va lu es, a ttitu des a n d n or m s of cooper ation w ith gr ou p peer s; a n d a t th e sch ool
level, sch ool-w ide a ctivities a r e pla n n ed a n d
sch ool eth os is developed to h elp stu den ts a s a
wh ole to develop in a ffective, cogn itive, a n d
beh aviou r a l dom a in s. Ta ble II gives som e
exa m ples of a ctivities a n d ch a r a cter istics of
sch ool edu ca tion a t differ en t levels. Ma n y
r esea r ch fin din gs h ave poin ted ou t th a t edu ca tion pr ocess a n d clim a te a t h igh er levels su ch
a s sch ool cu ltu r e a n d cla ssr oom clim a te w ill
h ave a str on g im pa ct on th e lower levels
(Ch en g, 1993, 1994a ; F r a ser a n d Wa lber g, 1991;
Wa xm a n a n d E llet, 1992). Of cou r se, th e in flu en ce in th e r ever se dir ection m ay a lso occu r.
Hen ce, on e ca n con clu de th a t edu ca tion
pr ocesses a t th e differ en t levels w ill in flu en ce
a n d r ein for ce ea ch oth er, a n d it is essen tia l
th a t r esea r ch er s a n d sch ool pr a ctition er s
sh ou ld n ot focu s on ly on edu ca tion a t th e in dividu a l level bu t sh ou ld a lso em ph a size
pr ocesses a t th e gr ou p level a n d th e sch ool
level. Th e edu ca tion pr ovided in m u ltidom a in s a n d m u lti-levels sh ou ld be m or e
h olistic for ch ildr en ’s a ll-r ou n d developm en t
(Ch en g, 1996).
Apa r t fr om th e a bove con sider a tion of differ en t levels of sch ool edu ca tion , th e wor k of
th e pr in cipa l, a dm in istr a tor s a n d tea ch er s
wh ich in flu en ces stu den ts ca n a lso be con sider ed a t th e in dividu a l, gr ou p, a n d sch ool
levels (see F igu r e 1). Ta k e th e tea ch er s for
exa m ple; th eir per for m a n ce a t th e in dividu a l
level m ay in clu de: tea ch in g sk ills, cla ssr oom
m a n a gem en t, r ela tion s w ith stu den ts, cooper a tion , pa r ticipa tion , in volvem en t, r ela tion s w ith peer s, cr itica l r efl ection , eth ica l
ju dgem en t of tea ch in g, a dm in istr a tive wor k ,
beliefs in edu ca tion a n d m a n a gem en t, in tegr a tion of th eor y a n d pr a ctice, pa r ticipa tion
in th e developm en t of sch ool cu ltu r e, etc.
(Ch en g a n d Ta m , 1994). Th e edu ca tion effect
sh ou ld n ot be con fin ed to th e per for m a n ce of
in dividu a l tea ch er s on in dividu a l stu den ts. In
fa ct, th er e sh ou ld be a gr ou p effect a s well a s

wh ole sch ool effect of tea ch er s a n d a dm in istr a tor s on in dividu a l stu den ts, cla sses or
gr ou ps of stu den ts a s well a s th e en tir e stu den t body in th e sch ool. Also, th e beh aviou r s,
feelin gs, a n d beliefs of tea ch er s a n d a dm in istr a tor s sh ou ld con stitu te pa r t of th e h olistic
edu ca tion pr ocess for stu den ts in sch ool. In
su m , th e a ffective, cogn itive, a n d beh aviou r a l
per for m a n ce of tea ch er s a n d a dm in istr a tor s
a t th e in dividu a l, gr ou p a n d sch ool levels h a s
a str on g im pa ct on stu den ts, a n d th is is per h a ps wh y so m a n y edu ca tor s a r e pr om otin g
th e wh ole sch ool a ppr oa ch to stu den t gu ida n ce, cu r r icu lu m pla n n in g a n d oth er sch ool
wor k (E du ca tion Com m ission , 1990; Wa tk in s
a n d Wa gn er, 1987).

Family education for children
Th e a ctivities for edu ca tin g ch ildr en in
fa m ily ca n a lso be con sider ed a t m u lti-levels
(see F igu r e 1). At th e in dividu a l level, th er e
a r e in dividu a l fa m ily u n its; a t th e gr ou p
level, th er e a r e fa m ily gr ou ps; a n d a t th e
sch ool level, th er e a r e fa m ilies of th e en tir e
stu den t body. F a m ily edu ca tion a t th e in dividu a l level m ay in clu de a ctivities su ch a s
pa r en ts su per visin g th eir ch ildr en ’s h om ewor k a ssign m en ts, spen din g tim e w ith th em ,
listen in g to wh a t th ey th in k a n d feel, developin g a close r ela tion sh ip, a n a lysin g pr oblem s
w ith th em , discu ssin g fa m ily m a tter s w ith
th em , a n d sh a r in g va lu es a n d beliefs w ith
th em . N ow a days, pa r ticu la r ly in u r ba n a r ea s,
beca u se m a n y pa r en ts h ave to spen d lon g
h ou r s a t wor k , or for oth er r ea son s, pa r en ts
a r e u n a ble to spen d m u ch tim e on h elpin g
ch ildr en to lea r n a t h om e. Mor eover, m a n y
pa r en ts, fa th er s in pa r ticu la r, still believe
th a t th eir m a in r espon sibility is to m a k e
m on ey to feed th e fa m ily a n d to pay for th eir
ch ildr en ’s edu ca tion , a n d th ey ten d to n e glect
a ctive involvem en t in edu ca tin g th eir ch ildr en
in th e fa m ily.
F a m ily edu ca tion a t th e gr ou p level m ay
r efer to th ose a ctivities or ga n ized by pa r en ts

Table II
The do mains and le ve ls o f ho listic sc ho o l e duc atio n
Domains of
education

Individual (examples)

Behavioural Learning tec hniques, using
equipment, physic al exerc ise,
showing self-disc ipline, etc .
Affective
Developing c onfidenc e,
showing sympathy, motivation
to learning, satisfac tion with
sc hool life, etc .
Cognitive
Reflec tive thinking,
understanding, owning a set
of moral values, beliefs, etc .

Group/ class (examples)

School (examples)

Showing c lassroom order,
extra-c lass ac tivities, interc lass c ompetition, etc .
Classroom soc ial c limate,
affiliation, group norms,
team c o-operation, etc .

Sc hool gathering, athletic meeting,
sc hool c eremony, etc .

Sharing a set of beliefs about
c lassroom, c ultivating group
values, etc .

Sc hool ethos, sc hool belongingness,
etc .

Sharing educ ational ideals, c ultural
beliefs, sc hool values, etc .

[ 277 ]

Wai Ming Tam,
Yin Che o ng Che ng and
Wing Ming Che ung
A re -e ngine e ring frame wo rk
fo r to tal ho me -sc ho o l
partne rship
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1 1 / 6 [1 9 9 7 ] 2 7 4 –2 8 5

[ 278 ]

in th e sa m e distr ict, or pa r en ts of stu den ts of
th e sa m e cla ss or in th e sa m e gr a de. Som e
exa m ples of th ese a ctivities a m on g pa r en ts
m ay in clu de for m in g su ppor t n etwor k s,
or ga n izin g stu dy gr ou ps, sem in a r s a n d wor k sh ops, sh a r in g ch ild ca r e exper ien ce a n d
in sigh ts a n d lea r n in g n ew con cepts a n d tech n iqu es of fa m ily edu ca tion , etc. All th ese
a ctivities a r e h elpfu l in su ppor tin g edu ca tion
of ch ildr en in th e fa m ily in str u m en ta lly a n d
a ffectively.
Fa m ily a ctivities a t th e gr ou p level m ay be
expa n ded to th e sch ool level, so th a t a ll pa r en ts
in th e sch ool ca n pa r ticipa te. Th ese m ay be
a ctivities wh ich involve pa r en ts of th e wh ole
sch ool su ch a s pr izegivin g cer em on ies, spor ts
days, fu n d r a isin g even ts, pa r en ts’ days, etc.
Wh en pa r en ts of th e en tir e sch ool pa r ticipa te
in th ese even ts, th eir ch ildr en w ill feel th e
con cer n a n d love of a du lts oth er th a n th eir
pa r en ts, a n d th e sch ool fa cu lty w ill a lso be
en cou r a ged by th is sh ow of su ppor t. Oth er
th a n sch ool-or ga n ized even ts, th er e m ay be
even ts or ga n ized by th e pa r en t or ga n iza tion s.
Th ese fa m ily a ctivities ca n in clu de pu blish in g
fa m ily n ew sletter s, co-or din a tin g fa m ilies in
differ en t distr icts wh o belon g to th e sa m e
sch ool, or ga n izin g socia l ga th er in gs, r u n n in g
sem in a r s a n d wor k sh op for a ll pa r en ts of th e
sa m e sch ool, etc. All th ese a ctivities ca n
con tr ibu te to th e developm en t of fa m ily
edu ca tion for ch ildr en dir ectly or in dir ectly.
Th r ou gh th ese a ctivities, th e fa m ilies of th e
sch ool a s a wh ole ca n develop a clim a te of
aw a r en ess a n d pr om in en ce in fa m ily
edu ca tion . Fa m ily a ctivities con du cted a t
m u lti-levels w ill h elp pa r en ts to becom e a
str on g syn er getic for ce a n d a la r ge r esou r ce
pool for th em selves a n d th e sch ool in
edu ca tin g th eir ch ildr en .
In th e cou r se of h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip,
th e su ppor t of th e com m u n ity (in clu din g th e
edu ca tion a u th or ity, spon sor in g body of th e
sch ool, a n d loca l or ga n iza tion s) is ver y
im por ta n t (Davies, 1991). F ir st, w ith ou t
a ppr opr ia te policy a n d fi n a n cia l su ppor t fr om
th e edu ca tion a u th or ity a n d th e sch ool spon sor in g body, it w ill be difficu lt to im plem en t
h om e-sch ool a ctivities, a n d th eir effect w ill
n ot la st. Secon d, a t th e ea r ly sta ge of
im plem en ta tion , th e con cept of tota l h om esch ool pa r tn er sh ip m ay n ot be well a ccepted
by pa r en ts a n d sch ools. Th e edu ca tion
a u th or ity, m a ss m edia , a n d loca l com m u n ity
gr ou ps w ill n eed to h elp pu blicize a n d pr om ote
th e con cept to th e pu blic. Th ir d, sch ools h ave
lim ited r esou r ces. If th e loca l or ga n iza tion s
(su ch a s you th cen tr e, com m u n ity cen tr e,
etc.) ca n h elp or ga n ize som e a ctivities (su ch
a s sem in a r s a n d wor k sh ops for pa r en ts),
th er e w ill be better ch a n ce for su ccess.
F in a lly, wh en th e sch ools sta r t to pu t h om e-

sch ool pa r tn er sh ips in to a ction , difficu lties
m ay be expected. Th e com m u n ity ca n th en
ta k e u p a su ppor tive r ole, to en cou r a ge a n d
m otiva te tea ch er s a n d pa r en ts to k eep on
tr yin g. Un der extr a or din a r y cir cu m sta n ces,
th e com m u n ity m ay a lso in ter ven e a n d h elp
over com e th e pr oblem s.
To con clu de, th e a bove pr ovides a com pr eh en sive fr a m ewor k in clu din g m u lti-levels a n d
m u lti-dom a in s to con ceptu a lize sch ool edu ca tion , fa m ily edu ca tion a n d th eir between r ela tion sh ip. It is clea r th a t w ith th e su ppor t
of th e com m u n ity a n d th e edu cation
a u th or ity, sch ool edu ca tion a n d fa m ily
edu ca tion sh ou ld both be m a n a ged in a n
in tegr a tive a n d h olistic appr oa ch in clu din g
m u lti-levels a n d m u lti-dom a in s for edu ca tin g
ch ildr en . Th ey sh ou ld n ot be in depen den t of
ea ch oth er, bu t sh ou ld be collabor a tive effor ts
a im in g a t m a xim izin g a ll th e edu cation a l
effects for ch ildr en in both sch ool a n d fa m ily.

The strengths of total home-school
partnership
Accor din g to th e a bove con ception of tota l
h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip, edu ca tion of
ch ildr en in sch ool a n d fa m ily in clu des
a ctivities a t m u lti-levels, a im in g a t ch ildr en ’s
a ll-r ou n d developm en t in differ en t dom a in s.
Also, th ese a ctivities sh ou ld be m a n a ged a n d
co-or din a ted in a coh er en t w ay. Hen ce, on th e
on e h a n d, h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ips r epr esen t
pa r en ts’ a ctive su ppor t a n d involvem en t in th e
sch ool edu ca tion pr ocess, in clu din g close
com m u n ica tion w ith th e sch ool, a ssistin g th e
sch ool in its specia l even ts, pa r ticipa tin g in
sch ool decision m a k in g, or even becom in g a
m em ber of th e sch ool boa r d. On th e oth er
h a n d, pa r tn er sh ip m ay a lso m ea n th e sch ool
h elpin g th e pa r en ts or ga n ize th em selves,
esta blish in g pa r en t or ga n iza tion s a n d su ppor t
u n its, a ssistin g th em in pr om otin g fa m ily
edu ca tion a n d socia l even ts (see F igu r e 1).
Th er efor e, th e r ole of pa r en ts in sch ool
edu ca tion is to pa r ticipa te a n d su ppor t, a n d
th e r ole of th e sch ool is to a ssist th e pa r en t
or ga n iza tion a n d to pr om ote fa m ily edu ca tion
for ch ildr en . Wh en th e two pa r ties for m su ch a
pa r tn er sh ip, th e stu den ts w ill r eceive th e
gr ea test ben efit, a n d pa r en ts a n d tea ch er s w ill
a lso ga in va lu a ble exper ien ce a n d lea r n in g
oppor tu n ity.
In th e tr a dition a l a ppr oa ch to h om e-sch ool
r ela tion sh ips, it is often wh en pr oblem s
a ppea r du r in g th e stu den ts’ edu ca tion
pr ocess in sch ool th a t th e tea ch er s n eed to
con ta ct th e pa r en ts in or der to r ectify th e
situ a tion . Th er efor e, th e co-oper a tion r ela tion sh ip is on e w ay, lim ited a n d fr a gm en ted,
m a in ly depen din g on tea ch er s con ta ctin g

Wai Ming Tam,
Yin Che o ng Che ng and
Wing Ming Che ung
A re -e ngine e ring frame wo rk
fo r to tal ho me -sc ho o l
partne rship
Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f
Educ atio nal Manage me nt
1 1 / 6 [1 9 9 7 ] 2 7 4 –2 8 5

in dividu a l fa m ilies. Th e con cer n is m a in ly
cen tr ed on tr ea tin g in dividu a l sym ptom s,
ch a n gin g in dividu a l stu den t beh aviou r or
disciplin in g in dividu a l m isbeh aviou r, a n d
n e glects th e type of power fu l pa r tn er sh ip in
wh ich tea ch er s a n d pa r en ts ca n co-oper a te a t
differ en t levels in differ en t dom a in s for developm en ta l pu r poses.
Th e tr a dition a l a ppr oa ch to h om e-sch ool cooper a tion ca n be fu r th er illu str a ted a s sh ow n
in F igu r e 2. Wh en com pa r in g F igu r e 1 w ith
F igu r e 2, on e ca n ea sily see th a t th er e is a
gr ea t dea l of differ en ce between th e
fr a gm en ted r ela tion sh ip a n d th e tota l pa r tn er sh ip. Th e tr a dition a l con cept is m a in ly ad h oc
a n d pr ocedu r a l, la ck s lon g-ter m pla n a n d
clea r a im s, a n d does n ot h ave a com pr eh en sive
system of im plem en ta tion . Ba sed on th is
a ppr oa ch , th e a ctivities wou ld ten d to be fr a gm en ted, a n d m a in ly belon g to on e-w ay com m u n ica tion r ela tin g to oper a tion a l m a tter s.
Th ese m ay in clu de a n n ou n cem en t for pa r en ts,
sign in g of r epor t ca r ds, teleph on e com m u n ica tion , ad h oc pa r en t-tea ch er in ter view, etc.
Also, th e pla n n in g a n d im plem en ta tion of th e
a ctivities a r e m ostly in itia ted by th e sch ool,
w ith little or n o pa r ticipa tion fr om pa r en ts,
little in ter est in k n ow in g wh a t th e pa r en ts
r ea lly n eed, a n d ten ds to n e glect th e gr ou p a n d
sch ool levels, a n d som etim es th e cogn itive a n d
a ffective dom a in s. Th e tr a dition a l a ppr oa ch
r equ ir es tea ch er s on ly to follow th e policies
a n d in str u ction s of th e sch ool, a n d to a n swer
sim ple fa ctu a l qu estion s r ela tin g to oper a tion a l m a tter s, a s lon g a s th e tea ch er s u n der sta n d wh a t th e sch ool expects. It is often
a ssu m ed th a t th er e is n o n eed for exten sive
tr a in in g for tea ch er s. Th er efor e th e effectiven ess of th is type of h om e-sch ool co-oper a tion
is often pr oblem a tic.

Figure 2
The traditio nal c o nc e ptio n abo ut ho me -sc ho o l partne rship

Total home-school partnership in
dif ferent perspectives

Teacher
Be havio ur

Student
Behaviour

Individual
te ac he r

Affe c tive
Co gnitive

Parents
Behaviour

Individual
Individual
family unit

Te ac he r-family
c o -o pe ratio n

Bu t th e tota l h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip a im s a t
su ppor tin g a h olistic edu ca tion for stu den ts,
th r ou gh fa cilita tin g a fu ll spectr u m of colla bor a tion effor ts fr om th e pa r en ts a n d tea ch er s
a t th e in dividu a l, gr ou p a n d sch ool levels. It
r equ ir es th em a t th ese th r ee levels to edu ca te
ch ildr en by wor k in g in th e a ffective, beh aviou r a l a n d cogn itive dom a in s. To fa cilita te
su ccessfu l im plem en ta tion of tota l h om esch ool pa r tn er sh ip, clea r a im s a n d objectives,
a ppr opr ia te gu idelin es a n d pr ocedu r es, system a tic pla n n in g, im plem en ta tion a n d eva lu a tion a r e expected. Sin ce fa m ily a n d sch ool
a r e pa r tn er s, th ey sh a r e r espon sibilities in
sch ool fu n ction s a n d ch ildr en ’s edu ca tion ,
th er efor e, th e k in d of co-oper a tion ca n be
seen a s m u tu a lly ben eficia l, su itin g th e n eeds
of both sch ool a n d fa m ily. F u r th er m or e,
beca u se th e design of h om e-sch ool a ctivities
involves m u lti-levels, th er e is a gr ea ter
dem a n d for qu a lity wor k . Tea ch er s w ill n eed
to develop con fi den ce a n d pa tien ce, to lea r n
h ow to wor k co-oper a tively w ith pa r en ts, a n d
to ga in a n in -depth u n der sta n din g of th e
pr oblem s fa ced by fa m ilies a n d sch ools.
Ma n y stu dies h ave in dica ted th a t good
h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip ca n be a n im por ta n t
sou r ce of m otiva tion wh ich w ill in cr ea se
tea ch er s’ sa tisfa ction a n d tea ch in g effica cy
(E pstein , 1985; E pstein a n d Da u ber, 1991;
Hoover -Dem psey et a l., 1987). Oth er r esea r ch
a lso su ggested th a t stu den ts’ fa m ily ba ck gr ou n d a n d th eir fa m ily edu ca tion a r e im por ta n t deter m in a n ts of th eir a ca dem ic per for m a n ce in sch ool (Ber n stein , 1978; Ch en g,
1994b, 1995; Colem a n et a l., 1966; Sewell a n d
Sh a k , 1968). Th er efor e, th e a bove tota l h om esch ool pa r tn er sh ip ca n pr ovide a fr a m ewor k
to em power both fa m ilies a n d th e sch ool to
becom e a cen tr e of effective edu ca tion for
ch ildr en .

In a ddition to th e a bove discu ssion , we m ay
in ter pr et th e m ea n in gs a n d fu n ction s of tota l
h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip fr om th e le ga l,
m a n a gem en t a n d edu ca tion a l per spectives
(Ch en g, 1991). Th is w ill be h elpfu l in th e
im plem en ta tion of fa m ily edu ca tion , sch ool
edu ca tion a n d h om e-sch ool co-oper a tion .

The legal perspective
F r om a le ga l per spective, th e pa r ticipa tion of
pa r en ts is u n avoida ble. Its fu n ction is to
pr otect th eir ch ildr en ’s r igh t to r eceive
qu a lity edu ca tion , a n d to exer t th eir r igh t
a n d ta k e u p r espon sibility a s pa r en ts. Th ey
h ave th e r igh t to k n ow h ow th e sch ool
edu ca tes th eir ch ildr en , to be in for m ed of
[ 279 ]

Wai Ming Tam,
Yin Che o ng Che ng and
Wing Ming Che ung
A re -e ngine e ring frame wo rk
fo r to tal ho me -sc ho o l
partne rship
Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f
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sch ool policies, a n d to ta k e steps to pr otect
th e r igh ts of th eir ch ildr en . Also, a s sta k eh older s, th ey sh ou ld be given th e r igh t to
m on itor th e sch ool oper a tion a n d cla ssr oom
tea ch in g to en su r e th a t th e sch ool h a s
fu lfilled its a ccou n ta bility r equ ir em en t. Th ey
sh ou ld a lso h ave th e r igh t to esta blish for m a l
pa r en t or ga n iza tion s, a n d to pa r ticipa te in
sch ool decision s (Ch en g, 1991; E du ca tion a n d
Ma n power, 1991; Th om a s, 1978). P a r en ta l
involvem en t in sch ool edu ca tion a n d m a n a gem en t is r ecogn ized a s a citizen sh ip r igh t in
m a n y Wester n cou n tr ies, a n d is often
pr otected by le gisla tion . In Hon g Kon g a n d
som e Asia n P a cifi c a r ea s, a lth ou gh th er e is
n o le gisla tion to gu a r a n tee pa r en ts’ in volvem en t in sch ool edu ca tion a n d m a n a gem en t,
sen tim en t is gr ow in g th a t pa r en ts sh ou ld be
given th is r igh t (Tik , 1996).
A tota l pa r tn er sh ip between fa m ily a n d
sch ool fr om th e le ga l per spective a lso im plies
th a t th e sch ool sh ou ld a ssist pa r en ts in
a ccessin g a n d exer cisin g th eir le ga l r igh ts,
a n d r em in d th e pa r en ts of th eir du ties. Th e
sch ool h a s th e r espon sibility to pr ovide
a ppr opr ia te in for m a tion to pa r en ts, so th a t
th ey w ill u n der sta n d th eir ch ildr en ’s r igh t to
r eceive qu a lity edu ca tion , a n d th eir ow n
r espon sibility in pr ovidin g fa m ily edu ca tion .
Also, th r ou gh com m u n ica tion , th e sch ool w ill
k n ow th e fa m ily lives of th e stu den ts a n d
th eir beh aviou r ou tside sch ool in or der to
en su r e th a t stu den ts a r e pr oper ly pr otected
a n d ca r ed for. F in a lly, th e sch ool sh ou ld a lso
a ssist pa r en ts to esta blish a n effective pa r en t
or ga n iza tion , a n d to en su r e th a t th e or ga n iza tion does th e r igh t th in g in pr om otin g a n d
fa cilita tin g wh olesom e developm en t of
stu den ts (Va len te, 1994) (see Ta ble III).

The management perspective
F r om a m a n a gem en t per spective, pa r en ts’
pa r ticipa tion in sch ool edu ca tion ca n pr ovide
a ddition a l r esou r ce a n d m a n power. P a r en ts
ca n a lso sh a r e pa r t of m a n a gem en t r espon sibility of th e sch ool, str en gth en com m u n ica tion between fa m ilies a n d th e sch ool, su ppor t
th e tea ch er s, m on itor th e sch ool pr ogr ess,
a n d even a ssist th e sch ool in com ba tin g a n y
n e ga tive in fl u en ces of th e loca l com m u n ity.
Th r ou gh pa r ticipa tion , pa r en ts m ay su pply
va lu a ble in for m a tion a bou t stu den ts, th em selves a n d th e loca l com m u n ity to th e sch ool.
P a r en ts a n d tea ch er s m ay u n der sta n d m or e
ea ch oth er ’s expecta tion s. Th ey cou ld h ave
join t effor ts to offer better sch ool edu ca tion to
stu den ts (Ber ger, 1987; Ch en g, 1991; E pstein
a n d Da u ber, 1991). Sch ool’s a ssistin g th e fa m ilies m ay h ave sim ila r m ea n in gs. Th e sch ool
ca n pr ovide a ssista n ce to develop fa m ily
edu ca tion , su ch a s su pplyin g r esou r ces a n d
m a n power, pla n n in g a n d im plem en tin g
[ 280 ]

pa r en tin g tr a in in g pr ogr a m m es, a n d sh a r in g
th e va r iou s r espon sibilities wh ich a r ise ou t
of h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip. Th e sch ool ca n
com m u n ica te w ith th e fa m ilies, pr ovide va lu a ble in for m a tion , en cou r a ge pa r en ts to be
better edu ca tor s in th e fa m ily, a n d h ave join t
effor ts w ith th e fa m ilies to figh t a ga in st th e
n ega tive in flu en ce fr om society (see Ta ble III).
Tr a dition a lly, ver y few sch ools per m it
pa r en ts to pa r ticipa te in sch ool m a n a gem en t,
pa r ticu la r ly in th e Asia n a r ea s. Bu t th e
r ecen t developm en t of sch ool-ba sed m a n a gem en t wor ldw ide h a s cr ea ted ch a n ces for m or e
pa r en ta l pa r ticipa tion in sch ool m a n a gem en t. In m a n y ca ses, pa r en ts m ay ser ve a s
sch ool boa r d m em ber s. By doin g so, tea ch er s
a n d pa r en ts a r e expected to im pr ove th eir
com m u n ica tion a n d co-oper a tion , a n d pr ovide effective edu ca tion to th e ch ildr en in
both sch ool a n d fa m ily.

The education perspective
Oth er th a n th e le ga l a n d m a n a gem en t
per spectives, th e edu ca tion per spective is
a lso im por ta n t. Tota l h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip ca n en a ble th e two pa r ties to sh a r e
r eleva n t in for m a tion so th a t stu den ts ca n
r eceive better ca r e, a n d th a t edu ca tion th e
stu den ts r eceive a t h om e a n d in sch ool w ill
n ot con tr a dict ea ch oth er. In th e pr ocess of
pa r ticipa tion , th e pa r en ts w ill h ave m a n y
oppor tu n ities to lea r n n ew tech n iqu es in
edu ca tin g th eir ch ildr en ; th ey ca n a lso
pr ovide feedba ck to th e sch ool, so th a t th e
sch ool m ay im pr ove its tea ch in g a n d a dm in istr a tion ; th ey ca n su ppor t th e sch ool’s in ter n a l r efor m , a n d en cou r a ge it to fa ce exter n a l
ch a llen ges. In h er r esea r ch , E pstein (1986)
obser ved th a t m a n y pa r en ts of elem en ta r y
stu den ts in th e USA a r e n ow a sk in g th e
sch ools to pr ovide tr a in in g oppor tu n ities on
ch ild ca r in g a n d fa m ily edu ca tion . ScottJ on es (1987) poin ted ou t th a t m ost of th e low
in com e m in or ity fa m ilies in th e USA la ck th e
k n ow ledge a n d r esou r ces in fa m ily edu ca tion . Both of th ese fin din gs su ppor t th e a sser tion th a t pa r en ta l pa r ticipa tion in sch ool
edu ca tion is im por ta n t. Also, th r ou gh th e
su ppor t of th e sch ool, pa r en ts ca n lea r n ch ild
tr a in in g tech n iqu es, wh ich ca n en a ble ch ildr en to r eceive a wh olesom e edu ca tion a t
h om e. Th r ou gh th e exch a n ges a m on g pa r en ts
a n d th e su ppor t ser vices pr ovided by th e
pr ofession a ls, pa r en ts ca n bu ild u p th eir selfcon fiden ce. Th ey ca n h ave oppor tu n ities to
u n der sta n d th e issu es in fa m ily edu ca tion , to
lea r n to solve its pr oblem s, to sh a r e th eir ow n
exper ien ce to th e oth er fa m ilies, a n d to
con ta ct oth er or ga n iza tion s to pr ovide
r eleva n t tr a in in g. At th e sa m e tim e, wh en th e
sch ool su ppor ts th e fa m ilies in im plem en tin g
tota l h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip, sch ool
pr a ctition er s m ay h ave oppor tu n ities to lea r n

Wai Ming Tam,
Yin Che o ng Che ng and
Wing Ming Che ung
A re -e ngine e ring frame wo rk
fo r to tal ho me -sc ho o l
partne rship

Table III
Usage o f the Standards o f Pro fe ssio nal Prac tic e issue d by the Institute o f Inte rnal Audito rs Inc .
Perspectives

Parents participate in school

School assists families

Legal

Know how the sc hool educ ates their c hildren
Be informed of sc hool polic ies in order to
influenc e or give support
Take steps to protec t the rights of their
c hildren to rec eive quality educ ation
Monitor the sc hool operation and teac hing
to ensure ac c ountability
Establish parent organizations, partic ipate
in sc hool dec isions and assume
responsibilities

Provide appropriate information to parents to
assure effec tiveness of family educ ation
Help parents to understand their rights and
responsibilities in educ ating their c hildren
Know the family lives of c hildren, to ensure
appropriate c aring and protec tion
Remind parents of their duties
Assist parents to establish effec tive parent
organizations

M anagement

Contribute to sc hool by assisting in sc hool
routine operation, help out in spec ial events
and make donations
Assist in management func tions inc luding
polic y formulation, support educ ational reform
Communic ate with sc hool by giving c hildren’ s
information, personal insights, and c ommunity
bac kground information
Support sc hool staff, visit the sc hool and
c lassrooms, attend sc hool func tions
Co-operate with sc hool in fighting the bad
influenc e of subc ulture

Education

Educ ation of the c hildren-parental
partic ipation enables the sc hool to properly
c are for the needs of the c hildren, to ensure
that sc hool educ ation and family educ ation
will not c ontradic t eac h other
Educ ation of the parents – the proc ess of
partic ipation provides opportunities for learning
Organizational learning – the feedbac k provided
enables the sc hool to improve teac hing and
management, empowers it to fac e c hallenges
and c hanges

Provide knowledge and resourc es, inc luding
effec tive c hild c aring and training and setting
up parent organizations
Assume some of the responsibilities in homesc hool partnership, inc luding fund raising,
manpower, c o-ordinate ac tivities
Communic ate with parents, inc luding the
meaning and prac tic es of home-sc hool
partnership, understand the needs and
diffic ulties of the families, report to parents
sc hool affairs and events, disc uss with parents
how to educ ate c hildren c ollaboratively
Enlist the morale of parents, asc ertain the
meaning and ac c omplishment of family
educ ation
Aid the families in fighting the bad influenc es
of soc iety
Sc hool provides assistanc e to families, makes
it possible for the students to rec eive holistic
educ ation at home
Suggest effec tive and prac tic al c hild training
strategies, inspire self-c onfidenc e, empower
parents to learn new skills and knowledge and
try to develop ac tivities for parents
The sc hool has opportunities to learn new
home-sc hool partnership, the families may
attempt more effec tive ac tivities for educ ating
c hildren at home

Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f
Educ atio nal Manage me nt
1 1 / 6 [1 9 9 7 ] 2 7 4 –2 8 5

n ew a ppr oa ch es a n d n ew con cepts of h om esch ool pa r tn er sh ip. Ta ble III su m m a r izes
th ese m a jor edu ca tion a l fu n ction s. In su m ,
tota l h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip pr ovides
n u m er ou s edu ca tion a l oppor tu n ities n ot on ly
to stu den ts bu t a lso to pa r en ts, tea ch er s a n d
a dm in istr a tor s.
Th e fu n ction s a n d m ea n in gs of tota l h om esch ool pa r tn er sh ip fr om th e a bove le ga l,
m a n a gem en t, or edu ca tion per spectives a r e
su m m a r ized in Ta ble III.

Implementing total home-school
partnership
F r om th e a bove a n a lysis fr om th e th r ee
per spectives, we ca n see som e con dition s
n ecessa r y for im plem en ta tion of tota l h om e-

sch ool pa r tn er sh ip. Th e m ost im por ta n t
con dition is th a t th e sch ool, pa r en ts, edu ca tion
a u th or ity, a n d th e com m u n ity sh ou ld ta k e u p
th eir a ppr opr ia te r oles. Ta ble IV su m m a r izes
th ese im por ta n t r oles fr om th e le ga l, m a n a gem en t, a n d edu ca tion per spectives.
F r om th e le ga l per spective, th e r ole of th e
sch ool is m a in ly to im plem en t th e h om esch ool policies, a n d to expla in th e m ea n in g of
th e policies to con cer n ed pa r ties or
con stitu en cies. Th e r ole of th e pa r en t is
m a in ly to pr ovide th e n ecessa r y con dition s
for fa m ily edu ca tion to ta k e pla ce a t h om e,
a n d to str ive for m or e oppor tu n ity to pa r ticipa te in th eir ch ildr en ’s edu ca tion . Th e r ole of
th e edu ca tion a u th or ity is to pr ovide
r esou r ces, to esta blish h om e-sch ool pa r tn er sh ip policies, a n d to pr om ote th ese policies

[ 281 ]

Wai Ming Tam,
Yin Che o ng Che ng and
Wing Ming Che ung
A re -e ngine e ring frame wo rk
fo r to tal ho me -sc ho o l
partne rship

Table IV
Co nditio ns fo r imple me nting to tal ho me -sc ho o l partne rship
Role of the school

Legal

Implementor – to implement
educ ational polic ies and
home-sc hool partnership
guidelines
Interpreter – to explain to
parents and teac hers the basic
rights of students and the
responsibilities of parents and
the sc hool
Monitor – to assure that both
sc hool and parents have
c arried out home-sc hool
partnership duties, to ensure
the students have proper
family educ ation and home
c are
Protec tor – to protec t the
rights of students to rec eive
educ ation, to safeguard the
rights of parents to be involved
in their c hildren’s educ ation

Provider – to provide the
nec essity for c hildren’s living
and learning
Protec tor – to protec t their
c hildren’s rights to rec eive
quality sc hool educ ation and
parents’ rights to partic ipate
Responsible parent – to seek
opportunities to know the
situtuations of their c hildren at
sc hool, to study the c hanges in
polic ies and the environment
Partic ipant – to assert
personal obligations to
partic ipation in parent
organization and to involve in
sc hool management
Monitor – to monitor the
sc hool proc ess and the
fulfilment of ac c ountability,
to monitor the operation of
parent organizations

Polic y formulator – to formulate
partnership guidelines and
polic ies
Resourc e provider – to provide
resourc es needed for organizing
partnership ac tivities
Message c onveyor – to c onvey
the polic ies and information
about partnership to parents and
sc hools
Monitor – to monitor the quality
of educ ation provided in sc hool;
to ensure that the students are
given their basic right; to inspec t
that partnership programmes are
properly implemented
Protec tor – to ensure that
partnership is effec tively
implemented; to give warning
and punish any violation

Message transmitter – to
advoc ate family ac tivities and
family educ ation within the
c ommunity
Resourc e provider – to sec ure
additional resourc e for
partnership ac tivities
Government monitoring – to
monitor the government in its
family protec tion law, c hild
family protec tion law, c hild
protec tion law, and educ ation
legislations
Media monitoring – to monitor
and prevent the media from
broadc asting indec ent
programmes; to prevent the
shops from selling indec ent
material to young people

Management

Resourc e manager – to ac quire,
battle for and manage resourc es
in order to implement homesc hool partnership ac tivities
Communic ator – to c ommunic ate
events and views of the sc hool to
parents, to c ollec t parents’ views
Leader – to lead the parents’ and
teac hers in searc hing, planning,
implementing and evaluating the
programmes and polic ies of
home-sc hool partnership
Motivator – to enhanc e morale,
c reate