Developing Partnerships between schools, students’ families, and the wider community: the impact of supporting schools using Connect’s partnership schools Scotland (PSS) programme to develop relationships with parents/carers

This research report, funded by Connect in 2019, aimed to evaluate the impact of Connect’s Partnership Scotland Schools (PSS) programme in schools. PSS is described as an evidence-based, practical and flexible model for school, family and community partnerships. It is based on the work of Joyce Epstein and her colleagues (2009) at John Hopkins University; Epstein’s model is lauded for having a ‘strong record in involving more and different families and community partners in the life and learning in its member schools’(Connect, 2019; 14/15). The PSS programme is Connect’s adaptation of the Epstein model for the Scottish context.
This research addressed the question: In what ways, and to what extent, is parent/carer engagement an influencing factor in schools which exceed expectations? The research included primary and secondary schools which had links to Connect’s PSS programme and schools which had no contact. A mixture of desk research including a systematic literature review, questionnaires, interviews and focus groups generated the findings for the research.