THE INFLUENCE OF THE FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR ON FAMILY-SCHOOL INTERACTIONS IN SCHOOL-LINKED SOCIAL-SERVICE PROGRAMS

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 established a system of stat ewide coordination of child-serving agencies through a school-linked c ollaborative arrangement. Kentucky family resource centers (FRCs) are designed to assist families and improve children's ability to learn by ensuring access to and coordination of social services. This article presents ethnographic data from an 18-month case study of the influenc e of center coordinators on family-school interactions. Interviews wer e conducted with coordinators, principals, teachers, and parents from 3 FRCs, 1 located in a large urban district and 2 located in small rur al communities. Sites differed in demographics, service density, and F RC location. Interactions involving families, school, and FRC staff we re observed, including home visits, conferences, and workshops. Releva nt documents related to program goals and activities were collected an d analyzed. Findings indicated that FRCs affected family-school intera ctions by (1) moving schools from an emphasis on problem identificatio n to problem solving, (2) providing a new medium of communication betw een family and school that is more intensive and immediate, and (3) cr eating a process that involved center coordinators in negotiating the expectations and demands of teachers and parents.