Parent-Teacher Relationships: Factors That Relate to Dyadic Congruence

Parent-teacher relationships are germane to child outcomes and are especially important when children experience social-behavioral difficulties. We used dyadic methods to assess levels and congruence in parent-teacher relationship joining (affective quality) and communication-to-other (communication behaviors). The study also examined whether teacher beliefs about parent involvement and years of experience and parents' educational attainment and ethnic-racial identity related to relationship qualities. Data come from three randomized controlled trials of a family-school partnership intervention for children with social-behavioral difficulties. Results indicated dyad levels of joining were higher than communication-to-other and identified a degree of mismatch in parent-teacher relationships. Parents reported more positive joining and communication-to-other than teachers. Parent-teacher dyads reported higher-quality relationships when parents identified as White and teachers held positive beliefs about parent involvement. Congruence was greater when teachers held positive beliefs about parent involvement and when parents had higher educational attainment. Implications for school-based family engagement efforts are discussed.