INTRODUCTION
A partnership between parents and teachers enables the sharing of vital information and expertise, leading to a more efficient and encouraging educational setting. Parents provide insight into their child's interests, abilities, and weaknesses, while teachers offer knowledge on academic abilities and behavior. By exchanging knowledge and skills, parents and teachers can create a tailored approach to promote the child's growth.
Pascua and Dulos (2020) stated that parents and teachers must be a teaching team to achieve similar goals, enhancing pupil development. Home and school are crucial environments for learning, as they contribute significantly to a child's future. Both places can protect, teach, support, and influence the child. Similarly, a study by Pepito (2019) revealed that teachers value parental input on education and parents recognize their role in sharing their opinions with the school.
The importance of establishing a healthy parent-teacher partnership is supported by various promulgations which give rise to its importance. DepEd Order 013 s. 2022, which emphasizes the role of parents and teachers in discussing school-related problems and implementing school programs. This is reinforced by Batas Pambansa 232, which requires parents to cooperate with schools in implementing curricular and co-curricular programs, while teachers must submit regular reports on student performance with improvement suggestions. Moreover, Executive Order 209 emphasizes parental responsibility for nurturing civic consciousness and developing a child's moral, mental, and physical character. Similarly, Republic Act 8980, calls for family and community support for early childhood development programs. Likewise, the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that parents hold primary responsibility for fostering a child's personality, talents, and abilities. In addition to these legal frameworks, initiatives such as DepEd Order 36 s. 2016 emphasizes the importance of valuing diverse pupil achievements beyond high grades. Furthermore, Office of the Undersecretary for Administration Memo 00-0322-0145 highlights the significance of psychosocial well-being, which affects a child's ability to manage daily life. Lastly, DepEd Order 034 s. 2022 which focuses on Parent-Teacher Conferences, where teachers and parents partner to support learners' holistic success. These promulgations are essential for addressing the diverse needs of pupils.
The most expressed notion in education was “every child is unique,” as supported by various authors, particularly Smith (2019), who indicated that recognizing each child's unique abilities and learning styles enhanced their educational experience and fostered a more inclusive environment. This study highlighted two key factors that teachers and parents focused on. First, psychosocial development pertains to the learner’s self-confidence and the social skills acquired through peer engagement. Second, academic performance measured achievement across subjects that involved factors such as class attendance and grades.
As an educator, it is observed that pupils progress at varying rates, pupils whose parents take an active role in their education often perform better psychosocially and academically than those whose parents are less involved. This observation prompted this study, which aims to investigate the dynamics of the parent-teacher partnership and its potential connection to pupils' psychosocial and academic performance.
Despite the utmost importance of a healthy parent-teacher partnership to the psychosocial development and academic performance of children, achieving these collaborative relation remains challenging. Parents' work commitments, negative experiences with former teachers, ignorance of the curriculum, illiteracy, reluctance on both sides to establish a warm and vibrant relationship for the good of the pupils can hinder communication. Harrison and Moller (2018) further assert that the lack of trust, time, and knowledge, differing values and parenting styles, only being contacted when pupils are misbehaved can also create obstacles. Lasater (2016) added that combative parents and insufficient teacher training are two major barriers to establishing family–school relationships. These identified factors can have significant implications for pupils, including negative behavior and insufficient motivation. Parent-teacher partnerships in the context of psychosocial development and academic performance can provide valuable insights into pupils' education, helping parents and teachers understand the complex factors influencing pupils' educational journey. By working together, they can provide comprehensive support to ensure pupils succeed academically and thrive socially and emotionally. This study provides ways to address communication barriers, enabling teachers and parents to become effective partners in creating an engaging school-home environment.
This study examined the existing partnership between the parents and teachers in relation to the psychosocial and academic performance of primary pupils at DepEd Balayan West Sub-Office. The results provided educators with effective development program to promote a strong partnership, empowering parents to create a supportive environment that benefits pupils' development.
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