Noting that productive family-school relationships are necessary for socializing and supporting children and adolescents as learners, and that such relationships can take many forms, this book examines the goals, contributions, and accountability of families and schools for educational outcomes. Addressed to school psychologists, the book describes four key elements necessary for optimal school-family relationships: (1) approach; (2) attitudes; (3) atmosphere; and (4) actions. Each chapter contains beginning and ending questions to organize reading and place main points within an applied context. Case studies, vignettes, and activities are presented as examples to which school and community professionals may relate. Chapter 1, "Family-School Relationships as a Protective Factor," discusses the role of policy in family-school relationships, types of family-school activities, current conditions, the importance of process, and the status of relationships. Chapter 2, "Approach: The Framework for Interaction with Families," examines the content and research findings related to a framework for interacting with families. Chapter 3, "Attitudes: Values and Perceptions about Family Involvement," considers perceptions that families and schools hold about one another and the relevance of this relationship for children's learning. Chapter 4, "Atmosphere: The Climate in Schools for Families and Educators," discusses how the climate in and around schools can support or inhibit healthy family-educator relationships, focusing on the importance of trust and communication. Chapter 5, "Actions: Strategies for Building Share Responsibility," describes seven broad actions that professionals can take to work with families as partners across grades K-12: garnering administrative support, acting as a system advocate, implementing family-school teams, increasing problem solving across home and school, identifying and managing conflict, supporting families, and helping teachers improve communication and relationships with families. The book's five appendices include a position statement from the National Association of School Psychologists on home-school collaboration, a checklist for quality indicators of the six national standards for parent/family involvement, and an inventory for creating school-family connections. (Contains 260 references.) (KB)