ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the core family-school partnering (FSP) philosophy. The philosophy serves as the foundation from which all FSP beliefs and behaviors flow. Understanding the uniqueness of home and school is especially important in our vision of effective FSP and therefore has an impact on our FSP philosophy. In building our shared beliefs of FSP, we sought to create a philosophy that is simple, practical, and guiding for tiered partnering efforts across two substantial systems, the family and the school. Student school success continues to be at the forefront of our FSP belief system as it comprises the substance of FSP. Education is described as a shared, joint responsibility between the home and the school. Bronfenbrenner’s ideas about human development were instrumental in our framework of FSP, both for his focus on interrelated systems and the centrality of the family and school in a student’s development.
