Parent Assessments of School Partnerships with Families and Communities in Supporting the Home Language Environment

Abstract

This study examined the partnerships established by a school with families and communities to support the quality of the home language environment of special needs learners and to provide guidance for developing a nurturing school environment. A descriptive-correlational and comparative design was used with 30 parent-respondents from School Division of Cavite. Data were gathered through a researcher-developed, expert-validated questionnaire using a four-point scale and were analyzed through frequency count, weighted mean, Spearman’s rho, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test. Most respondents were aged 30–34 years (43%) and identified as parents (63%). The overall assessment of school partnership practices was 3.33, interpreted as Always True of My Child’s School. Partnerships with families obtained a sub-mean of 3.23, while partnerships with communities obtained 3.56. The highest-rated community practice was the provision of after-school programs involving parents and community organizations (3.67), whereas the lowest-rated family practice concerned respect for and incorporation of the family’s cultural background and language practices in the language support plan (3.10). Associations between respondent profile and partnership assessments were weak, and the reported Kruskal-Wallis results indicated no significant differences across age or family role. The findings point to the need to strengthen culturally and linguistically responsive family partnership practices.