ABSTRACT
This chapter comprises a short reading outlining useful state policies and several examples of state and district policies that are consistent with the theory, research, and framework for school, family, and community partnerships. It includes one reading that reports the results of research on whether and how well districts are addressing requirements for parental involvement in federal policy—No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The chapter introduces viable policies for school, family, and community partnerships and to research on challenging policy questions. The specifications in NCLB redirect district leaders from simply monitoring schools' compliance with the law to actively guiding schools to improve the quality and results of their partnership programs. The required and optional actions in NCLB for district leadership on partnerships can be understood with a theoretical framework that outlines a range of policy instruments for school reform. Although NCLB specifies that research-based programs should be implemented, the law does not indicate how the actions can be accomplished.
