Highlighting Parent Involvement in Education

Family Involvement

• Research demonstrates that parent/ family involvement significantly contributes to improved student outcomes.

• Everyone -- students, parents, teachers, administrators, and communities -- benefits from family involvement.

What are the Benefits?

• More positive attitudes toward school;

• Higher achievement, better attendance, and more homework completed consistently;

• Higher graduation rates and enrollment rates in post-secondary education;

• Better schools to attend.

Benefits for Parents

• Greater knowledge of education programs and how schools work;

• Knowledge of how to be more supportive of children;

• Greater confidence about ways to help children learn;

• More positive view of teachers; and,

• Greater empowerment.

Benefits for School Staff

• Greater teaching effectiveness;

• Higher expectations of students;

• Increased ability to understand family views and cultures;

• Greater appreciation of parent volunteers; and,

• Improved morale.

Benefits for Communities:

• Greater strength;

• Greater impact of services through comprehensive, integrated approach;

• Increased access to services for families.

Research on Involvement

• Effective parent/family involvement improves student outcomes throughout the school years.

• While parent/family involvement improves student outcomes, variations in culture, ethnicity, and/ or socioeconomic background affect how families are involved.

• Parent/family involvement at home has more impact on children than parent/family involvement in school activities.

• The nature of effective parent/family involvement changes as children reach adolescence.

• Parent/family involvement in early childhood programs help children succeed in their transition to kindergarten and elementary school.

• Parent/families may need guidance and assistance in how to effectively help their children with homework.

• Parent/family involvement will differ for ethnic and cultural groups. These differences should be considered when planning parent/ family involvement programs.

• Improved student outcomes have been documented in math and reading when families are involved.

• The most promising opportunity for student achievement occurs when families, schools, and community organizations work together.

• To be effective, school programs must be individualized to fit the needs of the students, parents, and community.

• Effective programs assist parents in creating a home environment that fosters learning and provides support and encouragement for their children’s success.

• Teachers must be trained to promote effective parent/family involvement.

Outdated Thinkingon Parent Involvement

• Parents should come to school only when invited;

• Stay-at-home mothers serve as “homeroom mothers”;

• Parents visit school mainly for children’s performances and open houses;

• Parents help raise money for school.

• Schools that have been the most successful in involving families look beyond traditional definitions to a broader view that considers parents/families as full partners in the education of their children.

• These schools view children’s learning as a shared responsibility among everyone involved in the child’s education.

What is a Family?

• Traditional?• Blended?• Extended?• Multi-generational?• Migrant?• Minority?• Single-parent?• Divorced?• Other?

A Personal Definition

• For the purpose of today’s conversation, “Parent” or “Family” refers to anyone actively involved in raising and educating a child.

Factors in Involvement

• Parents are a child’s first teachers.

• The American family has changed dramatically over the last 50 years.

• Schools aren’t always knowledgeable in how to encourage involvement.

• Parents don’t always recognize the importance of becoming involved or know where to begin.

Ten Truths of Parent Involvement

• All parents have hopes and goals for their children. They differ in how they support their children’s efforts to achieve those goals.

• The home is one of several areas that simultaneously influence a child. The school must work with people in the other areas for the child’s benefit.

• The parent is the central contributor to a child’s education. Schools can either ignore this fact or recognize the potential of the parent.

• Parent involvement must be a legitimate element of education. It deserves equal emphasis with elements such as program improvement and evaluation.

• Parent involvement is a process, not a program of activities. It requires ongoing energy and effort.

• Parent involvement requires a vision, policy, and framework. A consensus of understanding is important.

• Parents’ interaction with their own children is the cornerstone of parent involvement. A program must recognize the value, diversity, and difficulty of this role.

• Most barriers to parent involvement are found within school practices. They are not found with parents.

• Any parent can be “hard to reach.” Parents must be identified and approached individually; they are not defined by gender, ethnicity, family situation, education, or income.

• Successful parent involvement nurtures relationships and partnerships. It strengthens bonds between home and school, parent and teacher, parent and school, school and community.

Barriers to Involvement

• Lack of a school environment that supports parent/family involvement;

• School practices that do not accommodate the diversity of family needs;

• Child care constraints;• Families’ past negative experiences with

schools and/or feelings of uncertainty about “treading on school territory.”

• Cultural differences (language barriers, attitudes toward professionals, lack of knowledge of the American education system);

• Primacy of basic needs (food, clothing, and shelter take precedence over educational needs);

• Feelings of inadequacy associated with difference in income or education;

• Safety, especially in inner-city school neighborhoods;

• Uncertainty about what to do; and,

• Lack of time.

100 Ways

• The brochure, “100 Ways for Parents to be Involved in Their Child’s Education” is available from the National PTA;– http://www.pta.org/– Based on the National Standards for

Parent/Family Involvement Programs.

Remember These 10 Guiding Principles

• Family members are equal partners in a child’s education.

• The home environment is the “primary” educational environment.

• Schools must respect the diversity o families and their varied needs.

• All families care about their children.

• Family involvement is important through all years of a child’s education.

• Family involvement takes many forms and may not require a family’s presence at school.

• Families, schools, and communities are closely interconnected and must collaborate in educating children.

• School leaders and staff need support and training in how to encourage family involvement.

• One size does not fit all when developing school-family partnerships.

• Change takes time and building successful partnerships requires much effort over time.

• Become involved in your local school.

• Contact a Parent-Educator Resource Center near you for information on upcoming parent training opportunities.

Thank You!