Teacher-Parent Partnership In Enhancing Student’s Academic Performance: A Case Of Selected Community Secondary Schools In Tunduru District, Tanzania

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study, was to find out the extent to which partnership between teachers and parents, could enhance an academic performance of students in secondary schools in Tanzania, with a reference to Tunduru District. Four community secondary schools and 90 respondents were involved in the study, categorized into 4 heads of schools, 2 DSEOs, 4 WECs, 20 teachers, 20 parents and 40 students. Respondents and schools were selected through a random sampling and purposive sampling. Methods of data collection included questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions. Data were collected and analyzed by a content analysis aided by a computer package called (SPSS). Literatures for teachers-parents partnership were also reviewed.

Findings have revealed that, poor academic performance of students in form four national examinations in community secondary schools in Tunduru district was contributed partly by lack of a strong teacher-parents partnership. In which, demoralized students and teachers efforts, to take an active part in the whole process of teaching and learning, which in turn, constrained the efforts to improve students academic performance. The study also revealed that, teacher-parent partnership had three roles which were exchanging information on student‟s welfares and activities at school and home, encouraging students to take an active part in academic activities and lastly, was to motivate parents to participate in decision making of students education matters. The study recommends that, teacher-parent partnership could influence student‟s academic performance, strategies like having regular meetings with parents, having two way communications, encouraging transparency and accountability among heads of schools and having parents day to be encouraged, that could help to improve partnerships in which, might help to improve the academic performance, in these community secondary school.