Book excerpt: Constant changes in education are creating new and uncertain roles for parents and teachers that must be explored, identified, and negotiated. Preparing Educators to Engage Families: Case Studies Using an Ecological Systems Framework, Third Edition encourages readers to hone their analytic and problem-solving skills for use in real-world situations with students and their families. Organized according to Ecological Systems Theory (of the micro, meso, exo, macro, and chrono systems), this completely updated Third Edition presents research-based teaching cases that reflect critical dilemmas in family-school-community relations, especially among families for whom poverty and cultural differences are daily realities. The text looks at family engagement issues across the full continuum, from the early years through pre-adolescence. NEW TO THIS EDITION The text addresses bold and exciting new directions in the field of family engagement in education, including the explosive growth of digital media and learning, the investment in student performance data systems, the focus on personalized student learning, and the need for systemic—rather than "random acts"—of family engagement. New theoretical perspectives on early childhood education and family engagement speak to issues of quality learning settings and school readiness.