Faculty & Staff Directory

Joyce L. Epstein Portrait

Joyce L. Epstein, PhD

Professor, Director, Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships, Director, National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS), Co-Director/Directorship Team-CSOS

Joyce L. Epstein, Ph.D. in sociology from Johns Hopkins University, is Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and Professor of Education in the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. In 1995, she established the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS), which provides professional development for leaders to develop research-based programs of family and community engagement. She has over one hundred fifty publications including School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, 4th Edition (2019) and a textbook for college courses, School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools, 2nd Edition (2011). Dr. Epstein was named a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association in 2009 and received the Elizabeth Cohen Award for Applied Research (2009) from AERA’s Sociology of Education Special Interest Group. In all of her work she is interested in the connections of research, policy, and practice.

GRADUATE EDUCATION

Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1974, Sociology

Ed.M. Harvard Graduate School of Education, Human Development

CURRENT POSITIONS

Director, Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships, 1996 – Present

Director, National Network of Partnership Schools, 1995 – Present

Co-Director/Directorship Team, Center for Social Organization of Schools (CSOS), 2013 – Present

Professor of Education, School of Education, 2009- Present

Research Professor of Sociology (Associated Faculty), 2003 – Present

AWARDS

AERA Fellow, American Educational Research Association, 2009

Elizabeth Cohen Distinguished Career in Applied Sociology of Education Award, Sociology of Education Special Interest Group, AERA, 2009

Sally K. Lenhardt Award for Professional Leadership, Lesley University, 2017

SELECTED GRANTS

U.S Department of Education, IES, Co-PI: Continuous Improvement in Ninth Grade Student Outcomes through Engaging Families to Support the Transition from Middle to High School, 2015-2019+, $2.5M (Martha MacIver, PI, in collaboration with Seattle Public Schools).

Heising-Simons Foundation.  Grant for the International Network (INET). $13,000.  2014.

MetLife Foundation: Developing Programs of Family and Community Involvement, $1.1M, 2008-14.

MDRC, subcontract.  $24,805.  Review and Commentary: Family Engagement with Preschool Students.  2013.

NICHD Interagency: Family and Community Involvement: Achievement Effects, $6M, 2003-2009.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Books

Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Sheldon, S. B., et al., et al.  (2019).   School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, Fourth Edition and Handbook CD. Thousand Oaks CA: Corwin Press. (1st edition, 1997; 2nd edition 2002; 3rd edition 2009).  See www.partnershipschools.org.

           Book (3rd edition) translated to Chinese: Heilongjiang Educational Press, Ltd., 2016

           Book (3rd edition) translated to Arabic: Scientific Publishing Center, King Abdulaziz

University, 2017

           Portions (3rd edition) translated to Spanish: Fundación CAP. Santiago Chile, 2013.

Epstein, J. L. (2011). School, Family, and Community Partnerships:  Preparing Educators and Improving Schools (Second Edition). Boulder CO: Westview Press (now NY: Taylor & Francis).    (Also in e-book and Student Economy Edition formats, 2015).  (1st edition, 2001).

Hutchins, D. J., Greenfeld, M. G., & Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., & Galindo, C. (2012).   Multicultural Partnerships: Involve All Families.  New York: Eye on Education.

Hutchins, D. J., Greenfeld, M. G., & Epstein, J. L. (2015). Family Reading Night. Second Edition.  New York: Taylor and Francis.  (1st edition, 2008).

 

Articles and Chapters

Epstein, J. L., Jung, S-B., & Sheldon, S. B. (2019).  Toward equity in school, family, and community partnerships: The role of networks and the process of scale up. Pp. 555-574 in S. B. Sheldon & T. Turner-Vorbeck, (Eds.)  The Wiley Handbook of Family, School, and Community Relationships in Education, First Edition. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell Press.

Epstein, J. L. (2018). School, family, and community partnerships in teachers’ professional work. Journal of Education for Teaching (JET), 44, 397-406. 

Mac Iver, M. A., Sheldon, S. B., Epstein, J. L., Rice, E., Mac Iver, D. J., Simmons, A. (2018). Engaging families in the high school transition: Initial findings from a continuous improvement initiative. School Community Journal, 28, 37-66.

Epstein, J. L. (2016).  Searching for equity in education: Finding school, family, and community partnerships.  Pp. 69-86 in A. R. Sadovnik (ed.), Leaders in the Sociology of Education: Intellectual Self-Portraits.  Rotterdam and Boston: Sense Publishers.

Epstein, J. L., & Sheldon, S. B. (2016).  Necessary but not sufficient: The role of policy for advancing programs of school, family, and community partnerships.  Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2(5), 202–219.

Mac Iver, M. A., Epstein, J. L., Sheldon, S. B., & Fonseca, E.  (2015). Engaging Families to support students’ transition to high school.  The High School Journal, 99 (1), 27-45.

Núñez, J. C., Suarez, N., Rosario, P., Vallejo, G., & Epstein, J. L., (2015). Relationships between parental involvement in homework, student homework behaviors, and academic achievement: Differences among elementary, junior high, and high school students. Metacognition & Learning, 10, 375-406.

Van Voorhis, F. L., Maier, M., Epstein, J. L., & Lloyd, C. M., (2013. The impact of family involvement on the education of children ages 3 to 8A focus on literacy and math achievement outcomes and social-emotional skills.  New York: MDRC.

Epstein, J. L., &. Van Voorhis, F. L. (2012). The changing debate: From assigning homework to designing homework.  Pp. 263-273 in E. Reese and S. Suggate (eds.) Contemporary Debates in Childhood Education.  London: Routledge.

Epstein, J. L., Galindo, C., & Sheldon, S. B. (2011). Levels of leadership: Effects of district and school leaders on the quality of school programs of family and community involvement.   Educational Administration Quarterly47, 462-495.

Epstein, J. L., &. Van Voorhis, F. L. (2010).  School counselors’ roles in developing partnerships with families and communities for student success.  Professional School Counseling, 16, 1-14.

Epstein, J. L. (2008).  Research meets policy and practice: How are school districts addressing NCLB requirements for parental involvement?  Pp. 267-279 in A. R. Sadovnik, J. O’ Day, G. Bohrnstedt, and K. Borman (Eds.). No Child Left Behind and the Reduction of the Achievement Gap: Sociological Perspectives on Federal Educational Policy.  New York: Routledge.

Epstein, J. L., & Sanders, M. G. (2006).  Prospects for change: Preparing educators for school, family, and community partnerships.  Peabody Journal of Education, 81, 81-120.

Epstein, J. L., & Sheldon, S. B. (2006).   Moving forward:  Ideas for research on school, family, and community partnerships. Pp. 117-137 in C. Conrad and R. Serlin (Eds.).  SAGE Handbook for Research in Education: Engaging Ideas and Enriching Inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA:  Sage Publications.

FULL LIST OF BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND CHAPTERS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

 

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

New York CUNY/CCNY.  Bortner Lecture: New Directions for Developing Programs of Family and Community Involvement for Student Success: Advances in Theory, Research, and Practical Applications.  March 2013.

Dublin, Ireland.  National Parents Council (NPC) Great Expectations Conference.  Keynote and Staff Workshops.  June 2013.    

Santiago, Chile.  Keynote:  How to Improve Programs of School, Family, and Community Partnerships for Student Success.  Conference: Cómo involucrar a la familia para lograr el éxito de nuestros estudiantes. Aprender en Familia / Fundación CAP.  October 2013.

Fredericksburg, TX.  Then and Now: Developing Programs of Partnership for Student Success. Superintendents in Texas Regions 13 and 20. October 2014.

Lisbon, Portugal.  Universidade Nova de Lisbon. Keynote.  Creating a national network on school, family, and community partnerships:  Multi-level goals, challenges, and successes.  ESCXEL International  Conference on Education Networks for School Improvement.  November 2014.

New York City.  City University of New York (CUNY) CIEP Forum: What does Good Parent Involvement Look Like? January 2015.

Glasgow, Scotland.   Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC).  Inaugural Lecture: Then and Now:  Developing Programs of Family and Community Engagement for Student Success in School and Partnership Program Training Sessions and Meetings. March 2015.

Denver, Co.  Colorado State Department of Education   Professional Development on TIPS-Literacy K-3 (Colorado Series).  June 2015.

Valparaiso, Chile.  Universidad de Playa Ancha Training workshops for teacher-training faculty.  September 2015.

Tucson, AZ.  Keynote and workshop—Arizona Department of Education Mega Conference for Leaders of Federal Programs.  November 2015.

Los Angeles Unified School District.  Leadership and Team Training Professional Development. January  2016.

Williamsburg, VA.  Every Student, Every Day.  Virginia Department of Education.  Keynote and breakout sessions.  April 2016.

Millersville University. Inaugural Symposium: Educational Leadership and Poverty. Partner with Parents with Low Income for High Student Achievement, Harrisburg, PA, May 2017.

University of Santiago de Compostela. (Spain).  Seminaro Internacional:  Programas efectivos para mellorar a implicacion das familias nas escolas. Seminar series on family engagement, teamwork, results for students, and the homework process.  November 2017.

University of Oviedo (Spain) Congreso Internacional de psicologia, salud, y educacion.  November 2017.

New York Hall of Science. New York City. STEM Opportunities for 1st Generation Students/Families. Developing Programs to Engage Parents of 1st Generation Students in STEM. May 2018.

Provo City School District.  District Leadership and Team Training Workshops.  Provo, Utah.  May 2018.   

Sveriges Utbildningsradio AB / Educational Broadcasting Company Sweden.  Interview and materials on TIPS Lärlabbet (Teacher’s Lab) for teachers in Sweden. June 2018.

Duke University.  Bold Ideas in Education: School Readiness Summit. Family Engagement at Points of School Transitions.  Durham, NC.  July 2018.

Maryland Family Engagement Coalition and Ready at Five. 2018 Maryland Family Engagement Summit. Developing Effective Programs of Family Engagement for Student Success in Preschool, Linthicum, MD.  July 2018.

 Lesley University/Brockton, MA school district.  Full day training for using the Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS) process.  Brockton, MA.  September 2018.

San Joaquin County Office of Education and 7 school districts. District Leadership and Team Training Workshops.  Stockton, CA.   October 2018.

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), State Consortium on Family Engagement.  Implementation Strategies-School, Family, and Community Partnerships. Washington, DC. December 2018.

South Carolina Department of Education. Statewide Family Engagement Summit.  Implementing Effective Programs of Family Engagement for Student Success in School. Columbia, SC.   April 2019.

SERVICE

Department

Director, Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and National Network of Partnership Schools, 1996 – (present)

Co-Director, CSOS Directorship Team, 2014 – (present)

 

School of Education

Strategic Planning Committee, School of Education, 2019-

Promotions Committee, School of Education, 2014-2018

Doctoral Committee, School of Education, 2014-2016

 

Profession-Editorial Boards

Education Journal (Hong Kong), 2016- Present

Research in Educational Administration and Leadership (REAL) (Turkey) 2016- Present

Aula Abierta ( Spain), 2016- Present

Theory Into Practice, 2003 – Present

Education and Urban Society, 1992 – Present

Phi Delta Kappan, 1991- Present

The Urban Review, 1982-2005, 2006- Present