Issue 26(2)
Partnering
With the Parents of Today's College Students. (2005).
Kurt Keppler, Richard H. Mullendore & Anna Carey, (Eds.).
Washington , D.C. : NASPA Publications, 97 pp. Price $34.95. ISBN
# 0-931654-35-1.
Review
by: Linda Huff
Pre-Major
Academic Advisor
West
Chester University , PA
This monograph directly addresses
the current conversation about Millennial students, their parents,
and the relationships that the editors believe educators should
cultivate with both. The editors note that "through partnerships
with parents and families, we can create additional learning opportunities
and also increase the likelihood of student success," as they
state the objective "to provide a complete and integrated approach
to working with parents" (pp. ix, xi). Although "complete" is
a rather ambitious characterization, the contents can generally
be described as extensive and well-integrated.
This compact volume explores its
topic from various angles through the voices of many educators
and administrators. The first two-thirds of the book is a compilation
of essays covering subjects including guidelines for understanding
changes in Millennial family relationships , suggestions
for relevant program development, and explanations of legal issues.
One of the most informative essays (Chapter 1) is written by three
administrators who have extensive experience with family members.
Their argument for partnering with parents, and the constructive
advice they offer for accomplishing it, are supported by their
firsthand experiences and set the tone for the chapters that follow.
In fact, an overall strength of this volume is that the voices
included belong to those who have worked with parents-administering
orientation and parent programs and providing services-so they
understand the topic.
Another overall strength is the practical
advice offered throughout the book; this advice is strongest in
the annotated bibliography and appendices. The bibliography, a
diverse selection of textual and web resources, provides college
administrators and parents with "resources beneficial in exploring
the topic of parental involvement" (p. 61). Some of the cited
texts offer a research-based approach to the topic, others represent
the how-to genre for administrators, while still others counsel
and encourage parents. While all of the appendices provide models
for program organization and management, the standout is a reproduction
of a detailed parent orientation schedule that would be highly
useful for anyone planning such an activity.
Although the appendices supply some
of the most practical moments in the book, they also provide the
weakest. For example, a more complete picture of Appendix A's
"Model Programs" would have been created if the purpose, program
description, and assessment information had been combined with
the demographic details given in the "Examples of Parent Orientation
Program Activities" highlighted in Appendix C. The final appendix,
a parents' newsletter that offers lighthearted
counsel to families as students come "Home for the Holidays,"
provides an ending seemingly unrelated to the rest of this straightforward
project.
While the chapter on legal issues,
with its lucid outlining of FERPA and HIPAA regulations, will
be of interest to advisors, the target audience for this text
is unmistakably student affairs administrators, and, to a much
lesser degree, family members. Advisors may want to look elsewhere
for advice relevant to their unique partnering with the parents
of today's college students.
