Inviting families into the classroom : learning from a life in teaching /

Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing educational landscape where learning is being standardized, Strieb presents intriguing details of her 31 years of teaching experience in the urban classrooms of Philadelphia. Her narrative is based on piles of data she accumulated as she went about teaching kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. She informs the readers how parents can become effective partners in the education of their children as well as children of other individuals. Her work captures the complexities and nuances of working with parents and inviting families into the classroom. It is not always easy. Strieb's experiences as an activist parent of three children and her very rich experiences of having been raised in an immigrant family from Ukraine informed her practice of teaching. Her work analyzing years of archived data and generating themes out of them is evidence for today's classroom teachers that practitioners can be effective and enlightening researchers. This book is highly recommended to every teacher candidate, every teacher, and every parent who is genuinely committed to the cause of our children. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. D. K. Singh Eastern Connecticut State University