Fostering strong home–school connections contributes to a smooth transition for all children, and is particularly important for children from low–income families where parents may be less comfortable interacting with the school. The school may assume a leadership role in fostering these connections and collaboration between parents and teachers to provide support for children's learning while embracing the values that build strong families and communities. Family members must work together with school staff to facilitate the children's educational development to maximize the child's potential and help the schools understand the family perspective.

The teachers in this study provided anecdotal evidence about the importance of parents being involved in their children's education by checking that homework was completed, limiting television viewing, ensuring regular school attendance, as well as participating in school functions. They also felt that the school would benefit from having parents who are able to provide emotional and social support to their children for learning, and being certain that the parents have the skills needed to extend learning to the home. However, they were unable to make an effective link with the low-income homes. The families need to help the educators see the family perspective and intricate home practices which serve to support children as learners.

Despite limitations set by poverty, there is evidence in the research of D. Taylor and Dorsey-Gaines (1988) that the families were able to raise successful, literate students. They emphasized that schools need greater awareness of the foundations of students' knowledge and the construction of language and meaning within the students' lives. The authors note that in their study, the school gave little value to the students' home environment. They suggest that a greater emphasis should be placed on the origins of the student's literacy history and language acquisition. The word meanings and understandings that children construct in the home are a key to their future success in education. Once again, this point holds true for this study. By understanding the intricate practices that occur in the home situation, we allow teachers to assess the abilities of more students from poverty and counteract the deficit model.