Exploring Effective Pre-Kindergarten Family–School Partnerships: The Pre-Kindergarten Parent Leadership Academy Program

Research suggests that positive parent–teacher relationships and increased parent involvement can improve student achievement. Family–school–community partnerships can promote these outcomes. This article describes the Pre-Kindergarten Parent Leadership Academy (Pre-KPLA) within the Parent Teacher Leadership Academy (PTLA) at the University of Alabama. To support local elementary schools and their students and families, the Pre-KPLA gives parents the opportunity to develop leadership skills within their school community while promoting parent–teacher relationships. Using a mixed-methods design, we analyzed data from the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 years of the Pre-KPLA on parents’ leadership behaviors and self-efficacy. Pretest–posttest results showed that parent participants significantly increased their leadership behaviors and self-efficacy. Additionally, qualitative thematic analysis revealed that parents were inspired to take action in their school, gained new knowledge about school improvement goals, and learned new ways to seek additional funding for their school.