Double Take

So I'm reading this chapter in Building Successful Partnerships: A Guide for Developing Parent and Family Involvement Programs. This section just threw me...it's on breaking down barriers to effective parental involvement in schools...but could, with some minor replacement of nouns, be on breaking down the barriers to building effective relationships. At least, in my inexperience, what I would hope a good relationship would be based on.

Check it:
"...[these] barriers...inhibit the development of genuine trust and respect among parents, teachers and administrators. Open and honest communication is the key to surmounting these barriers. Communication is a necessary component in establishing site-based management teams that are based on mutual trust and respect. It allows PTA leaders, parents, teachers, and administrators to contribute to decisions that affect children. Those involved in the process must overcome their reluctance to listen to views of people with less or more status than they have, and of those whose experience may not seem immediately relevant enough to merit their participation in the process.

"Effective partnerships develop when each partner is respected and empowered to fully participate in the decision-making process. Parents and educators must depend on shared authority in the decision-making process to foster trust and mutual support of each others' efforts to help students succeed. It is crucial to involve parents, either as individuals or as representatives of others, in collaborative decision-making processes on issues from curriculum and course selection to discipline policies and overall school reform measures. "

I'd like to think this is possible in my school...as well as in other aspects of my life in the future!