The Article
In this book, Professor Patricia Edwards, then-doctoral student Heather Pleasants, and teacher Sarah Franklin describe in detail the powerful tool “parent stories” can be in meeting the needs of young learners.

Discussion
The authors define parent stories as narratives gained from open-ended conversations and/or interviews, where parents respond to questions designed to shed light on traditional and nontraditional early literacy activities in the home. Edwards and her co-authors argue that by sharing their anecdotes and observations, parents give teachers the keys to unlock a vault of social, emotional, and educational variables. “In twentieth century, broadly diverse American culture, teachers need to employ a multiple consciousness. Upon entering the classroom, one can guarantee that all children in any given classroom do not have identical racial, ethnic, religious, social, educational, or financial backgrounds to the teacher. Teachers must learn from parents’ stories in order to gain a better sense of who the children are and expand their own schema to encompass an increasingly diverse society and classroom.” The book then provides a step-by-step approach to creating parent story programs. Included are such things as sample questions, case studies, and guidelines on collecting and interpreting data.

What It Means To You
Can teachers in your district benefit from parent stories? Would such stories help the teachers in their early literacy strategies and instructional practices?

For More Information
Edwards, P.A., Pleasants, H.M. & Franklin, S.H. (1999). A Path to Follow: Learning to Listen to Parents. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann.

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