Literature Review : Parental Involvement

The fact that African American students lag several years behind their White peers in math and reading continues to be a persistent problem in America’s public schools – a critical issue that should not be ignored in any meaningful discourse on community, literacy and public schools. The wide body of relevant research reveals many causal factors and correlates including race, socioeconomic standing, social class, teacher competence and perceptions, quality of schools, etc. It is also generally acknowledged that there is a direct, positive correlation between greater parental involvement and student academic achievement. The particular focus of this paper is on the question of to what extent parental involvement – or lack thereof- influences the academic performance of African American students. I will argue that African American student underachievement is, to a significant degree, likely to be attributable to lack of active parental guidance and involvement. The variety of factors that impact parental involvement, particularly that of parents of non-dominant backgrounds, will be examined in order to demonstrate the need for schools and teachers to diversify the approach generally taken to collaborating with parents, such that it becomes a more meaningful, inclusive and relevant process for these parents. In closing, I will draw on an interview conducted with the parents of an

Teacher collaboration can support professional development in schools. The importance of teacher collaboration can strengthen school and build teachers’ knowledge. The article discusses the significance of teachers’ social networks, a network of social interactions and personal relationships for teaching and learning as well as educational change. Social networking assists teacher collaboration. Teachers are able to communicate and ask for advice, collaborate on ideas, or as for help. Teachers may also exchange resources or provide opportunities to build teacher

Parent and Community involvement does not occur overnight. I feel that schools must make parent and community involvement a priority, valuing and accepting each other’s differences. Schools, families and communities must work together to support all students in a learning environment to ensure every student is a successful learner. Positive family and school involvement fosters a partnership among my school encouraging students to reach their highest potential academically and in life. Parent and community involvement does not mean stay-at-home mothers coming to school to help as needed, or a businessman stopping by to see events occurring on campus. The role of school, family and community involvement is a partnership incorporating goal-oriented activities for all grade levels linked to academic success and student growth.

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:

How does parent involvement affect children’s academic success in low socioeconomic areas? Does socioeconomic status and parental involvement play a major role in the academic success of teens? Many reasons can contribute to the low level of success of some teens. The thrilling memoir, The Other Wes Moore, provides readers with two scenarios, one resulting in success, and one resulting in failure. Teen’s who are raised in low socioeconomic areas, and who have a minimal level of parental involvement, tend to perform poorly in academic settings.

Most parents of black students do not regularly attend teacher/ parent conferences. These conferences are held usually between the sixth and eight week of school and during these meetings parents get a chance to voice any concerns they might have as well as the teachers suggestions. (Cushman 11). One might ask how can a parent send their child to school without ever meeting the teacher? There are several problems associated with black parents and the school system which I discuss in depth later in the paper. Parents just do not place enough emphasis on their child 's education and in turn the child doesn 't either. There is no way that a child could fail if their parents are in continuous communication with his teacher, yes, during these times there is simply not enough hours in the day but if a parent does not care about their child 's future how can expect anyone else to?” Black children are falling farther behind and are victims of an educational system that is failing them.” ( Muhammad 2). If parents do not realize that a teacher alone can not defeat this task alone, that it takes a village to raise a family its sad to say that

After studying the research, I can see that parental involvement is needed for the child to succeed in school, and that starts from childhood. I can also see that most African American students who have no parental involvement and who return from school to harsh conditions are more likely to spend less time in school, drop out, and accumulate a criminal record. Schools can help the parents provide a positive experience for the students, the school or parents shouldn’t have to provide this alone, because the parents have their influence and the schools if all students are treated the same has their influence and according to the research those students have a much experience at home as well as in school. I believe if African American students

African American families tend to be very traditional when it comes to family structure. They lean more toward the authoritarian parenting style, although it does have exceptions that make it hard to actually classify it as completely authoritarian. Heath (2013) define African American childrearing practices as typically more demanding but it’s paired with higher levels of responsiveness. As a teacher, it’s important to understand that children of these households have stricter guidelines to follow, and families function as a whole group. Children have higher levels of responsibilities because they are expected to work together as a whole. So, family structure plays a huge role in understanding African American

Academic scholars have noted that students who are thoroughly engaged are high academic achievers (Fullan, 2016). However, the subject of parent involvement has been introduced into the discourse over the past decades and now most educational leaders agree “ the closer the parent is to the education of the child, the greater the impact on child development and educational achievement” (Fullan, 2016, p. 158). As a result, the Ontario Ministry of education created Parents in Partnership: A parent engagement policy for Ontario schools. This policy is directly aligned with the ministry’s goal of creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive education system. The policy identifies parents as key individuals in education as they contribute to the work of educators, schools, and the community (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010). An investigation into the framework of the policy reveals the main actors, which are the parents; who are defined as caregivers, guardians, and parents, the government, school boards, teachers, principals, students, and the

Many people endure three years of middle school and four years of high school. It is an eventful time for children between 11 to 18 years old. During the adolescent years there are hormonal changes, environmental changes and emotional developmental gains. Middle school is the beginning of transitioning towards independence under the constant eye of adults. During high school they are challenged with real-world challenges that help them transition into adulthood. The behaviors of these individuals change as the factors change around them. For every person, the experience of high school or middle school may be different. Either way, both have the same goal of wanting the student to succeed and evolve. Even so, the similarities and differences vary. Middle school and high school are alike in the areas of receiving an education, socializing with others, and having teachers while different in areas of maturity, difficulty in work, and independence.

Family structure can be described as the framework of any family; it details the roles, positions and responsibilities of each family member and describes how they function together as a whole to fulfill the primary objective universal to almost every family, to nurture one another. However, because parenting doesn 't occur within a vacuum, many influences such as culture, ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) can largely affect how a family structures itself.

This article was a study of parenting styles that are found to be significantly effective in African American adolescence in impoverished neighborhoods. The focus was to determine if demographical circumstances influence parenting styles and adolescent academic success. The researchers want to determine if parenting styles that are common in European American families, yields the same outcome in adolescents in impoverished neighborhoods. The study was constructed to determine the correlation between adolescent outcomes and parenting in a sample of African American girls from high-poverty neighborhoods in the inner city.

Although it is important for families to be involved with their child’s school, school personnel should also strive to create a positive interaction with families of students. Carl Dunst (2002) states that school and parent collaboration is necessary, and if schools take on a more family-centered approach, it will help create a supportive environment and help to strengthen a family’s capacity to enhance and promote a child’s development and learning.

Parental involvement is vital in creating an environment for the student to thrive and succeed in. Parents are the primary caregivers and crucial assets in a child’s academic life. The parent- child relationship is very important because children tend to view their parents as being the most important role models in their lives. It is important to establish parent teacher collaboration because it allows the parent and teacher to connect in the best interest of the child. Based on the Longitudinal studies which focus on changes in behavior over time the findings of whether family involvement have a lasting impact on children’s academic achievements showed that the children in the study was more motivated, and academically did well across all grades. “The Longitudinal studies indicated that early family has potential to influence children’s academic achievement across grades.” ( Coleman 2013, p. 52). The first parent teacher conference of the school year my daughter received 2’s in english and math on her report card as well as 3’s in gym and music. When I sat down to talk to the teacher I was not so happy about her grades on her report card, so I asked the teacher what can I do to help her. As a parent you have to take a proactive measure in ensuring that

Parental involvement in education is a vital essential for creating a cooperative environment for the student to thrive and succeed in. When a student knows that he or she is receiving support both inside and outside the school, the chances of that child becoming responsible for and active in their education are more likely. I know that there can be difficulties including parents for many reasons. Such parents may be too busy, uninterested or just feel helpless. However, as an educator, I will still have an obligation to reach out to these parents and assist them.