Home-School Relations examines the nature of the contemporary family and its relationship to the school and provides practical advice for developing strong home-school relationships. This book discusses the need for educators to have positive working relationships with the students they teach and describes the techniques they must use to understand the families from which their students come. In addition to covering the traditional topics of ethnic families, change in families, and parent-teacher communication, Olsen, Fuller, and their contributors delve further into the issues facing families today. Poverty, advocacy, fathering and domestic violence and their effect on families are covered opening new paths of understanding for educators. In addition, diversity (cultural, racial, religious, and sexual orientation) is discussed, not only in a separate chapter, but throughout the book, to promote understanding of all students and their families. Unlike other book in this field, Home-School Relations confronts the alarming statistics on poverty and how it affects children, and ultimately, their performance in schools. In-service and pre-service teachers, parents Read Less