SCHOOL OF Education 
Virtual Campus 
Mission:  Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically challenging, learning-focused, and distinctively Christian environment for professional success and service to God and humankind.

COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE: ECHD 4312 Partnering with Parents
TERM AND DATES: Summer 2017 (May 29 – August 12)
INSTRUCTOR’S NAME:   Sharon Kern McCall, PhD
OFFICE ADDRESS:  2201 San Pedro NE – Albuquerque, NM 87110        
PHONE   505-323-9282                           
E-MAIL ADDRESS: mccalls@wbu.edu           
OFFICE HOURS: Please contact through Blackboard “Message the Instructor” at any time

CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides the guidelines for creating effective partnerships with families. It provides an overview of the diversity of modern families. The emphasis is on examining elements that create successful partnerships and programs that work.

REQUIRED RESOURCE MATERIALS:  
A.	Student Textbook: Gestwicki, C. (2016). Home, school, and community relations: A guide to working with families (9th edition). Florence, KY: Cengage Learning.      

ISBN-10: 1305089014
ISBN-13: 9781305089013

B.	Access to WBU Learning Resources www.wbu.edu/lrc
COURSE OUTLINE: 
•	Module One: Introduction To Families  
•	Module Two: Teacher-Family Partnerships In Early Education
•	Module Three: Methods For Developing Partnerships
•	Module Four:  Making A Partnership Work
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 
1.	The university student will participate in weekly class sessions; read all assigned materials; participate in class activities and assignments; and demonstrate professionalism.
2.	Students will complete and submit all assignments at the appropriate time.
3.	All assigned work must be typed, 12-pont font, and double spaced.
4.	The university student will complete three tests and a final exam. 
5.	The university student will complete two projects and a journal article review.

COMPETENCIES FOR THIS COURSE:
•	Students possess knowledge and understanding of family and community characteristics.
•	Students understand how to build positive relationships, taking families preferences and goals into account and incorporating knowledge of families’ languages and cultures.
•	Students consider family members to be resources for insight into their children, as well as resources for curriculum and program development.
•	Students understand that their relationships with families include assisting families in finding needed resources that may contribute directly or indirectly to their children’s positive development.
•	Students understand how to go beyond parent conferences to engage families in curriculum planning, assessing of children’s learning, and planning for children’s transitions to new programs.

Student Learning Outcomes: 
	The university student will: 
1.	demonstrate a variety of communication skills associated with the importance of fostering relationships and partnerships with families of young children
2.	describe perspectives of parent involvement in early childhood programs and schools 
3.	demonstrate techniques and practices for developing effective parent partnerships 
4.	construct activities for involving parents in early childhood programs 
5.	identify and explain advocacy roles of teachers, parents, community, and government 
6.	demonstrate sensitivity to problems and issues confronting families with young children 
7.	demonstrate an understanding of the functions and services offered by social service agencies, support services, and clinics in the local community, the State, and on the National level 
8.	construct a resource file to be used when referring families to outside agencies
9.	review current research related to partnerships between educators and parents of young children

MEANS FOR ASSESSING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OF THE LEARNING OUTCOMES 

Students should login at the beginning of each week to review assignments for the week.  All assignments are due as noted on course calendar unless otherwise announced by the instructor through Blackboard. All assigned work must be typed, double spaced, 12-point font, and submitted by the due date to receive credit.  
 
Assignment	Learning  Outcome(s)	Possible Points	Points Earned	
Weekly Discussions (10 @ 10 points each)	1-9	100		
Weekly Assignments(10 @ 10 points each)	1-9 	100		
Parent Communication/Collaboration Project	1, 3, 4, 6	 50 		
Parent/Family Resources	7, 8 	 50 		
Journal Article Review	9	 25		
Three Tests (25 points each)	1-9 	 75		
Final Exam	1-9 	100		
                                              Total		500		

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Students are expected to participate in all required instructional activities in their courses. Online courses are no different in this regard; however, participation must be defined in a different manner. Student “attendance” in an online course is defined as active participation in the course as described in the course syllabus. Instructors in online courses are responsible for providing students with clear instructions for how they are required to participate in the course. Additionally, instructors are responsible for incorporating specific instructional activities within the course and will, at a minimum, have weekly mechanisms for documenting student participation. These mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, participating in a weekly discussion board, submitting/completing assignments in Blackboard, or communicating with the instructor. Students aware of necessary absences must inform the professor with as much advance notice as possible in order to make appropriate arrangements. Any student absent 25 percent or more of the online course, i.e., non-participatory during 3 or more weeks of an 11-week term, may receive an F for that course. Instructors may also file a Report of unsatisfactory Progress for students with excessive non-participation. Any student who has not actively participated in an online class prior to the census date for any given term is considered a “no-show” and will be administratively withdrawn from the class without record. To be counted as actively participating, it is not sufficient to log in and view the course. The student must be submitting work as described in the course syllabus. Additional attendance and participation policies for each course, as defined by the instructor in the course syllabus, are considered a part of the university’s attendance policy.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES:  In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the policy of Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the university.  The Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of students with a disability and should be contacted concerning accommodation requests at (806) 291-3765. Documentation of a disability must accompany any request for accommodations.

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: Through reading of the text and current publications, discussion, and instructor/student demonstrations and presentations, students will develop a better understanding of the creating effective partnerships with families of the young child    Virtual class time will be interactive, effective instructional practices will be interwoven with explicit teaching of content by the instructor, and students will be active participants throughout the course.

University Grading System:
A	90-100%		Cr	For Credit*	
B	80-89%		NCR	No Credit	
C	70-79%		I	Incomplete**	
D	60-69%		W	Withdrawal	
F	below 60%		X	No grade given	
			IP	In Progress	
	
*A grade of incomplete is changed if the work required is completed prior to the date indicated in the official University calendar of the next long term, unless the instructor designates an earlier date for completion.  If the work is not completed by the appropriate date, the “I” is converted to the grade of “F”.  An incomplete notation cannot remain on the student’s permanent record and must be replaced by the qualitative grade (A-F) by the date specified in the official University calendar of the next regular term.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Wayland Baptist University places great value on professionalism. Professionalism is a key component to being an effective early childhood teacher, and this semester is your opportunity to demonstrate professionalism. Professionalism will be expected during class time on campus and especially during your experience in an early childhood setting. Additionally, because it is so important for early childhood teachers to communicate ideas effectively to colleagues, parents/families, and administrators writing clear and error-free English is a priority for students in the Wayland School of Education. Therefore, your ability to express your knowledge of educational concepts and theories within the conventions of academic discourse will be assessed through written assignments. Criteria for evaluation will be based on both content and mechanics.  Integration of information from lectures, readings, discussions, and other experiences will be taken into consideration as will correct and appropriate format and construction.

450 – 500 = A		400 – 449 = B		350 – 399 = C		300 – 349 = D		< 300 = F

Students shall have protection through orderly procedures against prejudices or capricious academic evaluation. A student who believes that he or she has not been held to realistic academic standards, just evaluation procedures, or appropriate grading, may appeal the final grade given in the course by using the student grade appeal process described in the Academic Catalog. Appeals may not be made for advanced placement examinations or course bypass examinations. Appeals are limited to the final course grade, which may be upheld, raised, or lowered at any stage of the appeal process. Any recommendation to lower a course grade must be submitted through the Executive Vice President/Provost to the Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee for review and approval. The Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee may instruct that the course grade be upheld, raised, or lowered to a more proper evaluation.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:  Wayland Baptist University students are expected to conduct themselves according to the highest standards of academic honesty. Academic misconduct for which a student is subject to penalty includes all forms of cheating, such as illicit possession of examinations or examination materials, forgery, or plagiarism. (Plagiarism is the presentation of the work of another as one's own work.)  
Disciplinary action for academic misconduct is the responsibility of the faculty member assigned to the course. The faculty member is charged with assessing the gravity of any case of academic dishonesty and with giving sanctions to any student involved. Penalties that may be applied to individual cases of academic dishonesty include one or more of the following:
1. Written reprimand.
2. Requirement to redo work in question.
3. Requirement to submit additional work.
4. Lowering of grade on work in question.
5. Assigning the grade of F to work in question.
6. Assigning the grade of F for course.
7. Recommendation for more severe punishment (See WBU Academic Catalog for further information).

Plagiarism – “The attempt to represent the work of another, as it may relate to written or oral works, computer-based work, mode of creative expression (i.e. music, media or the visual arts), as the product of one's own thought, whether the other's work is published or unpublished, or simply the work of a fellow student.  When a student submits oral or written work for credit that includes the words, ideas, or data of others, the source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific references, and, if verbatim statements are included, through use of quotation marks as well. By placing one’s name on work submitted for credit, the student certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgements. A student will avoid being charged with plagiarism if there is an acknowledgement of indebtedness.” 
Source: http://www.spjc.cc.fl.us/webcentral/admit/honesty.htm#plag  

IMPORTANT DATES:
Course Begins:  May 29, 2017
Last day to drop or withdraw without record/Census Date: June 13, 2017
Last day to ofﬁcially drop or withdraw with “W”:  July 21, 2017
Last day to ofﬁcially drop or withdraw with “WP/WF”:  July 28, 2017
Summer Term Ends: August 12, 2017

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE/COURSE OUTLINE:
The instructor reserves the right to amend the course outline as needed during the course.
Session/
Date	Content	Chapter Readings	Assignments Due	
MODULE ONE: INTRODUCTION TO FAMILIES  	
(1)
May 29 – June 4   	Review Syllabus, Assignments, and Rubrics; Introductions; 
Chapter 1. A Day with Two Families: Diversity of Experience	Chapter 1 	Due Sunday,  June 4
Weekly Assignment #1
Discussion #1	
(2)
June 5 – 11 	Chapter 2. Families Today 
	Chapter 2   	Due Sunday, June 11
Weekly Assignment #2
Discussion #2	
(3)
June 12 – 18   	Chapter 3. Parenting
	Chapter 3   	Due Sunday, June 18
Weekly Assignment #3
Discussion #3	
MODULE TWO:  TEACHER-FAMILY PARTNERSHIPS IN EARLY EDUCATION	
(4)
June 19 – 25   	Chapter 4. What Is Family Involvement?
Chapter 5. Benefits and Barriers in Teacher-Family Partnerships	Chapters 4 and 5	Due Sunday,  June 25
Weekly Assignment #4
Discussion #4
Test #1: Module 1 (Ch. 1-3)	
(5)
June 26 – July 2  	Chapter 6. Foundations of a Successful Partnership
	Chapter 6  	Due Sunday, July 2
Weekly Assignment #5
Discussion #5
Journal Article Review	
MODULE THREE:   METHODS FOR DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS	
(6)
July 3 – 9  	Chapter 7. Good Beginnings with Parents and Children.
Chapter 8. Informal Communication with Families  	Chapters 7 and 8	Due Sunday, July 9
Weekly Assignment #6
Discussion #6
Test #2: Module 2 (Ch. 4-6)	
(7)
July 10 – 16    	Chapter 9. Parent-Teacher Conferences
Chapter 10. Families in the Classroom	Chapters 9 and 10  	Due Sunday, July 16
Weekly Assignment #7
Discussion #7
Parent Communication/ Collaboration Project	
(8)
July 17 – 23    	Chapter 11. Parent Education
Chapter 12. It Takes a Village: Teachers, Families, and Communities	Chapters 11 and 12 	Due Sunday, July 23
Weekly Assignment #8
Discussion #8
Parent/Family Resource File	
MODULE FOUR:  MAKING A PARTNERSHIP WORK	
(9)
July 24 – 30    	Chapter 13. Working with Families from Diverse Backgrounds
Chapter 14. Working with Families in Particular Circumstances	Chapters 13 and 14   	Course Evaluation
Due Sunday, July 30
Weekly Assignment #9
Discussion #9
Test #3: Module 3 (Ch. 7-12)	
(10)
July 31 – August 6    	 Chapter 15. Working to Resolve Challenging Attitudes and Behaviors	Chapter 15   	Due Sunday, August 6
Weekly Assignment #10
Discussion #10 	
(11)
August 7 – 12    	 
FINAL EXAM		Due Thursday, August 10
FINAL EXAM	
Thank you in advance for your commitment to the content for this course and the development of skills for enhanced skills for developing partnerships with families of young children!

WBU School of Education Conceptual Framework