Getting engaged: possibilities and problems for home school knowledge exchange

In this paper we report some of the literacy and numeracy actions developed on the Home School Knowledge Exchange (HKSE) project and examine these in relation to the engagement of participants. The exchanges of knowledge included two-way processes where aspects of children's out-of-school worlds informed teaching and learning in the classroom as well as the more usual sharing of knowledge about school with children's families. We comment on patterns of parental engagement and on the development of actions that built not only on parental knowledge but also on the agency of the child. A key implication of this work is that 'one size does not fit all' - more successful actions include different family members at different times and in different ways. Although the positive potential of home-school knowledge exchange for engagement is discussed, the difficulties and complexities of this field are recognized and explored.