Teachers Centering Families and Building Rapport During Home Visits

Collaborative relationships between families and teachers of elementary-aged children are complicated by teachers’ lack of training for family engagement and by hierarchical and racialized power differentials. Home visiting can create a space for teachers to center and honor families’ ways of knowing and being, but those home visits need to be conducted in ways specifically intended to build relationships with families; otherwise, the visits can do damage. In this descriptive exploratory study, we examined how teachers responded to families’ openings during home visits. We articulate a theory that describes actions teachers can employ to build rapport, particularly across difference. This work has implications for research on family engagement and for teacher preparation for home visiting.