It's clear that students learn best when they are supported by a community that values education and includes not only teachers but also parents, families, and other mentors. Yet schools often find it difficult to successfully involve parents and families in children's educational lives. Based on solid educational research that reflects culturally diverse communities, this important new book offers teachers and administrators 55 practical strategies for forming effective partnerships with every type of family group. The authors cover a wide range of opportunities for collaborating with families, from homework, parent conferences, and open houses to family literacy and math activities, to hot-button topics like bullying and discipline. Each strategy offers: - a synthesis of the related research - a description of how to use the strategy in a classroom or broader school setting - precautions and pitfalls for consideration to help make implementation reasonably error free - research sources for optional follow-up.