Movie List

Additional suggestions for movies and tv shows to find additional topics of interest related to the book.

 

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Chapter 1: Family Engagement and the Responsive Educator

  1. Soul Food
    The family tradition of a Sunday dinner of soul food stops when the family matriarch is hospitalized. Clips from this movie can lead to a discussion of personal family experiences while growing up and their influence upon beliefs and practices. (Influence of family experiences upon teacher's beliefs about family)
  2. October Sky
    With the encouragement of a teacher and his mother, a boy from a coal mining town builds a homemade rocket and enters a science competition, against the wishes of his father. The movie presents examples of both benefits and barriers in family engagement. (Benefits and barriers to successful family engagement)
  3. Baby Boom
    Although released in 1987, the movie's depiction of a working single mom struggling to juggle the corporate world and a baby is still relevant for discussions about today's families. (Current trends in family demographics)
  4. Modern Family: Unplugged
    This TV series episode features Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet), two fathers raising Lily, their daughter who was adopted from Vietnam. This light hearted episode pokes fun at their efforts to get her into a good preschool, using their diverse family status as leverage in the admission process. (Current trends in family demographics)

Chapter 2: Theories and Models for Family Engagement in Schools

  1. Riding in Cars with Boys
    Numerous examples of family systems concepts are illustrated in this movie of a young man's flashbacks about growing up with a single mother. A particularly strong scene occurs in an argument between Jason (Adam Garcia) and his mom (Drew Barrymore) when she says, "We're supposed to be a team!" and he replies, "No, we're not. You're supposed to be the mom, and I'm supposed to be the kid." (Characteristics of a system)
  2. Everybody Loves Raymond
    Family systems concepts are comically presented by different family members in this television series, including family roles, bonding and buffering. Multiple episodes could be used to discuss the lack of boundaries between Raymond's family and his parents and brother. (Characteristics of a system)

Chapter 3: Supporting Families as They Parent Today's Children

  1. Leave It To Beaver / Cosby Show / Roseanne / Married With Children
    Clips from these different television shows of parent / child interactions can provide a contrast in parenting styles. One example is the episode from The Cosby Show's pilot episode where Theo (Malcom Jamaal Warner) brings home a bad report card, and Cliff (Bill Cosby) responds in an authoritative manner. (Parenting styles)
  2. Parenthood
    This movie illustrates the difficulties of raising children and provides a contrast of differing parenting styles and how they affect children's behavior. (Effects of parenting styles on a child's behavior)
  3. Hoosiers
    A basketball coach (Gene Hackman) gives one of his player's alcoholic father (Dennis Hopper) a coaching job and a sense of self-respect, demonstrating principles of the family support model. (Family support model)

Chapter 4: Structurally Diverse Families

  1. You've Got Mail
    The scene where Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) meets Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) and accompanying children, Annabelle and Matt, provides a classic description of today's structurally diverse families, when Fox explains: "Matthew is my father's son, Annabelle is my grandfather's daughter. We are... an American family!" (Today's American families)
  2. Modern Family
    This TV series features three different family types: nuclear, blended, and same-sex families, who are all related to each other. Episodes demonstrate how the families operate, as well as the importance of extended family, with their weekly meal together at the family patriarch's home. (Today's American Families)
  3. ET
    In the background of this classic movie about an alien visitor is the story of divorce, a single mom, and a child trying to understand the loss of his father in his life. (Single-parent families)
  4. Mrs. Doubtfire
    The movie provides discussion opportunities relating to topics such as father's visitation rights and how teachers can support children and parents during custody battles. (Suggestions for families experiencing a divorce)

Chapter 5: Culturally Diverse Families

  1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
    In addition to offering numerous examples of how a family operates as a system, the movie also illustrates the influence of culture upon a family's worldview and the cultural clash that can occur when a child in the family seeks to marry someone outside the culture. (What is culture?)
  2. Fools Rush In
    This movie illustrates cultural differences in families when an Anglo-European man (Matthew Perry) marries a Latino woman (Selma Hayek). (Similarities and differences among diverse families)
  3. Bend It Like Beckham
    This movie demonstrates how a family's religious beliefs impact childrearing and the difficulties that arise when a child wants to participate in an activity (soccer) that goes against her family's East Indian Sikh religious and cultural traditions. (Diversity in family religious practices)

Chapter 6: Students of Families in Transition

  1. Stepmom
    This movie demonstrates several difficult family transitions for children and parents, such as divorce, a parent dating and remarrying, chronic illness and death. (Characteristics of difficult family transitions)
  2. Parent Trap
    This Disney movie and the later re-make demonstrates the typical fantasy of children with divorced parents, who dream that their parents will one day remarry. (Students of families undergoing separation, divorce, and remarriage)
  3. Coming Home: When Parents Return From War (Nicklelodeon)
    While this video documentary is for children, it can also help teachers understand family dynamics and children's reactions during war. (Students with parents in the military)
  4. I Am Sam
    A mentally retarded father (Sean Penn) loses custody of his daughter to the foster care system and fights to regain custody, leading to discussions of judging parents' capabilities, as well as the foster care system. (Students in foster care)

Chapter 7: Families Overcoming Obstacles

  1. The Pursuit of Happyness
    This movie, based upon a true story, depicts a father (Will Smith) and son struggling with poverty and homelessness (Families overcoming poverty; Students experiencing homelessness.

Chapter 8: Families in Abusive Situations

  1. Goodwill Hunting
    Flashback scenes from Will Hunting's (Matt Damon) therapy sessions with psychologist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) shows the life of a severely abused child (Types of child abuse and neglect)
  2. Precious
    The story of 16-year old Precious who is sexually abused by her father and physically and emotionally abused by her mother. (Types of child abuse and neglect)
  3. Kindergarten Cop
    John Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a police officer masquerading as a kindergarten teacher, takes matters into his own hands with an abusive parent when he punches him outside the school; the scene offers a discussion opportunity about the role of teachers in child and spousal abuse situations. (The role of the teacher in reporting child abuse)

Chapter 9: Engaging Families in Their Child's Learning at School and Home

  1. Everybody Loves Raymond: Homework
    This episode demonstrates how parents may view excessive homework when 5th grade Ally has a number of assignments that Ray (Ray Romano), Debra (Patricia Heaton) and other parents question at an Open House gathering, leading to Ray addressing the school board about the value of homework. (Homework and home learning activities)
  2. Modern Family: Egg Drop
    This episode provides a discussion opportunity about whether families should participate in homework assignments and what happens when parents do their children's homework for them. (Homework and home learning activities)
  3. Modern Family: Door to Door
    In this episode, Jay (Ed O'Neill) helps his stepson, Manny, with a school fundraising project. Clips of their efforts to sell wrapping paper can lead to a discussion about meaningful volunteer opportunities for families. (Classroom volunteers).

Chapter 10: Teacher as Family Communication Facilitator

  1. Pay it Forward
    A hostile parent-teacher meeting, with mistakes made by both the parent (Helen Hunt) and teacher (Kevin Spacey), can be used for a discussion on effective reciprocal communication and active listening strategies (Informal conferences; Nonverbal communication; Active listening strategies)
  2. Everybody Loves Raymond: Ally's F
    Conferences with Ally's 6th grade math teacher do not go well when Ray and Debra meet with him to discuss her poor math grade. (Barriers to effective communication.)

Chapter 11: Working With Families of Children With Exceptional Needs

  1. Mask
    A mother (Cher) of a son with a serious facial deformity (Eric Stoltz) is determined that he is given the same chances for happiness and success as everyone else. (Helping families adjust to having a child with a special need)
  2. The Other Sister
    A mother (Diane Keaton) struggles with allowing her young adult daughter (Juliette Lewis) to be independent, and clashes with other family members and the school's administrator about what is best for her child. (Helping families adjust to having a child with a special need)
  3. The Miracle Worker
    Teacher, Anne Sullivan, disagrees with Helen Keller's parents about discipline and how to teach Helen, and risks losing her job when she defies them (Helping families adjust to having a child. with a special need)
  4. Little Man Tate
    The movie shows the tensions between a single mother (Jodie Foster) of an intellectually gifted eight year old boy and the director of a program for gifted children, with the mother determined that his genius abilities not overshadow that he is a child (Working with families of gifted and talented students)
  5. Temple Grandin
    This film, based upon the true story of a woman with autism, offers good discussion opportunities about the tireless efforts of a mother and the extended family to help Temple have a successful life, as well as educators' responses to Temple that were both supportive or barriers in her learning and development (Families of Children with Autism).

Chapter 12: Teacher as a Family Resource and Advocate

  1. Overboard
    A scene with a teacher who uses educational jargon and a condescending tone, when discussing children's poor test results with their "mother," Annie Proffitt (Goldie Hawn), offers a good discussion springboard of what it means for teachers to be a "family resource and advocate" and how to develop parent leaders. (Asset-based and family-centered partnerships)
  2. Everybody Loves Raymond: Homework
    In addition to relating to the topic of homework, this episode also depicts some parents' reluctance to get involved as leaders in a school, such as serving on a parent advisory council or school board. (Developing family leaders)
  3. Erin Brockovich
    This movie of one woman's (Julia Roberts) crusade against a utility company's pollution of the ground water source in a community illustrates that advocates need not have formal education or political experience to speak out against injustices. (Advocacy for children and families)
  4. Everybody Loves Raymond: The Angry Family episode
    Ray and Debra meet with the school counselor and priest after they realize that their constant bickering and screaming is affecting their young son. (Resource personnel to support families)

Chapter 13: Schoolwide Family Engagement Activities: Family Events, Family Resource Centers, and Volunteer Programs

  1. Full House: The First Day of School / Cosby Show: First Day of School
    Both episodes from these 80's sitcoms demonstrate different ways that children and parents respond to the first day of school and can lead to a discussion about effective Back to School family events that can ease the transition of starting a new school year for children of varying ages. (Back-to-School Events; Transition Events)
  2. Modern Family: Dance Dance Revelation
    Luke's mom, Claire (Julie Bowen) tries to keep Manny's mom, Gloria, from helping the Parent Dance Committee plan and decorate for the boys' first school dance. This episode raises the question about how recruitment of family volunteers for school events is done and what barriers are in place that keep family members from volunteering. (School Volunteers)