Preparing teachers to cooperate with parents

Research objectives (aims) and problem(s): Cooperation between teachers and parents is one of the fundamental tasks of the school. It is closely related to the idea of the subjectivity of the family and school in the education process, which is based on the relationship between teachers and parents. Good mutual relations between these entities create conditions conducive to the child's development. At the theoretical level, there is well-established scientific knowledge about educational partnership. The multidimensional nature of educational partnership and the diversity of types of cooperation between the family, school, and local community are often not reflected in everyday educational practice. This continues to be a challenge for contemporary schools, but also for the process of teacher training. In this context, the aim of the research is to examine higher education programs that prepare students for the teaching profession and to evaluate them in terms of their usefulness for developing the competence of cooperation with parents, as well as to identify proposals for better preparing teachers to cooperate with families. Research methods: The research was conducted using document analysis (education programs). The education programs of five academic institutions training preschool and early school teachers were analyzed. Process of argumentation: A preliminary analysis of the curricula of five Polish universities training teachers showed that the issue of teacher cooperation is not addressed explicitly (e.g., in the form of a separate course). Conclusions and/or recommendations: Research conducted among students completing a five-year full-time teacher training program (Surma Rostek, Twardowska-Staszek, 2024) shows that they rate their competences lowest in relation to cooperation with parents. They feel least prepared for this area of teaching. Young teachers (up to 5 years of experience) also point to difficulties in cooperating with parents, and this is one of the most important factors causing them to leave the profession. The research has led to the following recommendations for teacher training: (1) Enriching the teacher training process with a practical dimension – introducing exercises and communication skills training into the curriculum, taking into account the specific nature of the family environment; (2) Expanding the student internship program to include the opportunity to observe parent-teacher meetings conducted by experienced teachers and student participation in various forms of cooperation with parents.