Modern Applied Science; Vol. 12, No. 2; 2018 ISSN 1913-1844 E-ISSN 1913-1852 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 81 Reality and Obstacles of the Partnership between Family and School in Jordan Suad Fayez Malkawi 1 & Mohammed Amin Hamid Al-Qudah 2 1 PhD Applicant in Education Foundation, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan, 2 Prof. in Education Foundations, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan Correspondence: Prof. “Mohammed Amin” Hamid Al-Qudah, University of Jordan - Faculty of Educational Sciences, Foundation of Education, Amman, Jordan. Tel: 962-79-5229899. E-mail: m.amin.qudah@gmail.com, mo.qudah@ju.edu.jo, suad.malkawi1@gmail.com Received: December 21, 2017 Accepted: January 5, 2018 Online Published: January 19, 2018 doi:10.5539/mas.v12n2p81 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/mas.v12n2p81 Abstract The study aimed at identifying the reality and obstacles of the partnership between the family and the school in Jordan (Qualitative Study). The study adopted the qualitative approach based on interviews with the school principals and parents participating in the Parents’ Councils in Jordan, a total of 30 interviews have been made for this study: 9 interviews with the school principals and 21 others with parents. The study resulted on a moderate level of partnership between the family and the school in Jordan and this is for both school administrators and parents, however and as for the obstacles of partnership between the family and the school, the result was a bit different; the school administrators believe that the external obstacle originating from the families and the ministry are high while the parents pointed to the same result for the internal obstacle represented by their preoccupation, working conditions and the lack of confidence that they were real partners with the school. Based on the results of the study, many recommendations were made, including the necessity of activating Parents’ Councils to be an effective tool for activating the partnership between the family and the school in Jordan. Keywords: school-family partnership, parents’ councils, partnership’s obstacles, education, Parent Involvement, academic performance. 1. Introduction 1.1 What is partnership? Partnership is an agreement where two or more people or groups work together toward mutual goals. Partnerships can be formal, informal, or even unspoken as long as they include people or groups working together. Most experts agree that a partnership must benefit both sides for it to be truly effective. When two parties come together for the common good of a school or to enhance student learning, we call this an educational partnership. (Cox-Petersen , 2011, p. 5) Terminologically, it is identified as type of cooperation to achieve common objectives by sharing of roles and bearing responsibilities. Partnership is a tool to organize a stable relationship between two groups or more (Al-Sharif, 2016). (Clark, 2008) Identifies partnership as the sense of community through its different social systems. (Middlewood, 2009), argues that partnership is a work relation with mutual objectives and respect and ability to negotiate between participating parties, it requires information sharing and skills in making decisions, and consequently the accountability to assure achieving the quality of work. (Mitchell, 2011)Defines it as "a working relationship that is committed to an organized character, to achieve common goals with a sense of mutual trust, a desire for successful, effective work, and a commitment to accountability.