Influence of Parental Involvement and Engagement

Collective research focusing on family-school partnerships provide an extensive examination of parent involvement. Smith et al., (2011) referred to parent involvement as school, family, and community partnerships for the purpose of shared expectations, responsibilities, interests, and correlating influences of family, school, and community. Epstein’s (2008) framework of parent involvement approached parent involvement typologies from an institutional perspective; the framework for this literature review was conducted with a parental perspective that may positively affect academic achievement among students in 6th – 12th grades attending high poverty, rural schools. An explanation of Epstein’s six categories of parent involvement follows:

In what ways might I help increase parental engagement? To encourage parents to take part in their child’s academic journey.

An obstacle I have witnessed in my school is the lack of parental involvement. Throughout this year, I believe the parents' investment in their children education has been disheartening. I can say in my own classroom, nearly one-third of student’s parents have no idea how they are doing in school academically. About one-sixth of student’s parents don’t sign daily agendas or notes that are sent home. Only about one-fifth of parents consistently attend school programs. My biggest concern is that too many parents are disengaged. Parent involvement can indeed make a difference in a child’s education. Students would perform better academically and behaviorally if their

Parents should always be an essential and ongoing part of school curriculum; just because their child starts school it does not mean they need to stop teaching them or not be a part of their child’s learning process (Lindberg, 2014). According to Lindberg, parent involvement is described as, “an ongoing and systematic approach involving such activities as providing knowledge and skills in needed matters in order to ensure and support both student’s academic and personal development, the establishment of ongoing and active communication with teachers and school administration, recruiting and organizing parents’ help and support by volunteering in the activities demonstrated in one’s school and classroom, and creating

Parent engagement in schools is a shared responsibility in which schools and other community agencies and organizations are committed to reaching out to engage parents in meaningful ways, and parents are committed to actively supporting their children’s and adolescents’ learning and development. This relationship between schools and parents cuts across and reinforces children’s health and learning in multiple settings—at home, in school, in out-of-school programs, and in the

“Parent involvement is widely believed to be critical to children’s early academic development” as quoted in Parent Involvement in Preschool: Predictors and the Relation of involvement and Preliteracy development. Despite alike documentation that involvement may contrast in preschool rather in later years, astonishing not enough is known about the later years.

Parent involvement in the classroom is a topic of discussion for most teachers at the beginning of every school year. It can create stress and anxiety for many. Teachers understand that parental involvement is beneficial to student success in the classroom, however due to changes in technology, family structure, the economy,

After the intro, the authors geared the information toward the fundamentals of successful parent involvement which included three sections that had different techniques for educators. In two of the sections there were tables that included modes and frequencies of communication and different activity ideas that teachers can host to involve parents. For example, one activity was “Family and Friend Breakfasts.” This would be where parents or other family members or friends could come and eat breakfast in the classroom while being served by the students. This is a great way to show appreciation to parents and develop positive rapport. Overall, the findings were beneficial in the sense that I can use the information provided in this article for my own practice. Among the abundance of research provided, there was also much insight integrated. An important insight from the authors was for educators to remember that parents and teachers have a common goal no matter what differences may appear. I aspire to be a teacher that respects the parents of my students and provides ample opportunities to make them feel a part of my classroom and their child’s education. The strategies for successful parent involvement conveyed in this article will help me to better achieve this aspiration for the optimal success of my

In accordance with the article, children who attend to early childhood programs and parents who are involved in their children 's activities have more possibilities for success at school than others who do not attend to these programs. According to Taylor, Gibbs, and Slate “disadvantaged children who attended preschool experienced greater subsequent success in early elementary grades than students who did not attend preschool”. In addition, parents working together with teachers reinforce at home children’s education. Therefore, children who parents are interested in their academic results make children feel secure and happy to attend school. Parents intervening at their children’s education help teachers to create children more responsible and interesting to learn more.

Teachers need to increase understanding about how, and why, parents construct their involvement in different ways. Parental involvement may also vary because of differences in ethnic and cultural backgrounds between parents and teachers. I believe that supporting parental involvement requires knowledge by school's staff on how to involve parents in their children's education.

According to Henderson and Berla (1994), “The most accurate predictor of a student’s achievement in schools is not income or social status but the extent to which that student’s family is able to create a home setting that encourages learning, expresses high expectations, and when parents become involved in their children’s education at school and in the community” (pg. 160). Parental involvement has benefits for parents, teachers, and children.

Parent involvement in a student’s education can have one of the biggest impacts on a child’s life. Parent involvement goes far beyond grade school, and far beyond adolescent years. The effect that parent involvement has on a child’s academics can shape them into a different person. Children are constantly watching and evaluating their elders. Many times students look to their parents to find the value in things. When students see their parents or guardians valuing their child’s education, students will also begin to value it themselves. This comes through motivation. When parents are interested in their child’s education and are involved students will gain so much. “The Department of Education of West Virginia states that ‘research shows that when families take an active interest in their children’s schoolwork, students display more positive attitudes, behave better, and learn more’” (Robinson, Harris, 2014). Something as simple as reading with a child every night or taking weekend trips to places like museums and involving them in other intellectual activities will engage students in learning and motivate them to want to learn.

The first factor that’s has an impact on student learning is parenting. Parenting makes critical contributions to a child’s achievement in school. Playing math and reading games with elementary school students, helping middle school students with their homework, and establishing appropriate boundaries for teenagers are foundations for success in school. When parents are involved, regardless of income or background, children are more likely to earn higher grades and scores, enroll in higher-level programs, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, graduate, and even go on to postsecondary education. Parents who

Furthermore, parents are essential for helping a child with cooperation and continuous motivation. There are many benefits listed in the textbook that involve parent involvement such as: Positive behavior, long-term achievement, conscientious homework completion, increase in attendance, and graduation rates. Additionally, with the interaction between parents and students, it is a lot easier for the teacher to deal with disruptive behavior by gaining an insight to their home life which might indicate why they are acting a certain way (Introduction to Teaching, 336). With that being said, parent involvement might not be a natural habit. Therefore, making a proactive effort to reach out to parents is essential. Parent involvement starts at the beginning of the year when a teacher tells about his or her class. Secondly, parent teacher conferences allow parents to be reinforced on news throughout the

This topic was derived from my classroom observations and conducting home visits with my students and their families. I thought about creating a classroom website, starting a parent committee to oversee different school related activities and events, and improving parent-teacher communication. The purpose of my research is to increase parent awareness and knowledge of involvement strategies to help increase overall involvement in the kindergarten classroom. Educators must implement different techniques and strategies in the classroom to increase parental involvement. Some parents have barriers that might prevent them from becoming involved in their child’s education. Many parents have other obligations such as full-time jobs and take care of their elderly relatives. According to Helgesen (2012), many parents have conflicting schedules and other commitments that will not allow them to attend school events or volunteer in the classroom. Educators must reach out to parents by implementing various strategies to increase parental involvement in the classroom. This action research