Introduction

The last thirty years have brought dramatic changes to research and practice in the vast field of school-family-community relations. The overwhelming challenges faced by schools throughout the world owing to demographic changes and societal problems such as poverty, school dropout, violence and suicide, the wider diversity of students and parents, the higher accountability demanded of public school systems, the implementation of public school reforms and a multitude of government strategies and policies have made partnerships among schools, families and community groups a necessity. This understanding, observed internationally, occurs within the context of the globalisation of knowledge and competencies and along the continuum of strategies recommended by the school effectiveness movement.