The Effects Of Parental Involvement On Academic Achievement

Throughout history, public schools have suffered and still continue to fail while the rest of the world is moving ahead. There are various barriers that have prevented low-income student from succeeding with the rest of the world. Parent involvement plays a role because if they lack higher levels of education, most likely this will cause the student to have a disadvantage. Also, because of families with

More recently, the United States Department of Education, by submitting the 1996 proposal for National Education Goals, addressed the issue of parental involvement. The official U.S. government stood by the research of three decades that “parental participation in schooling improves student learning,” (U.S. Department of Education). Based on government research, family involvement programs don’t always need additional money to be successful, but leaders should stretch their own creativity to expand the programs that encourage community and family support. Parental involvement is found to be beneficial through high school, not stopping after elementary school, and parents that evolve as leaders should be encouraged to continue their role in their child’s education. The most successful parent leaders are found to play four roles in their child’s education: those roles are teacher, supporter, advocate and decision maker. The teacher-role supplements the child’s education at home, the supporter contributes his/her skills to the school, the advocate helps children receive fair treatment at home, and the decision maker participates in joint problem-solving with

In the excerpt from a book entitled Class Dismissed, Meredith Maran discusses that students’ parents should spend more time on getting involved in their children’s education. At first, the author states that if students want to be successful, their parents and schools should play important roles. However, there is a big trouble that parents have different opinion over getting involved in children’s education. Some parents are willing to get involved in their children’s education because they have enough time and sources to do so and they actually get reward from their parents’ same actions. On the contrary, the other parents don’t believe that get involved in their children’s education is important and majority of them don’t have enough time and material base to support, in that case, their children’s life are going to be tougher than theirs. In the end, Maran concludes that we cannot expect all the parents get involved into children’s education because society is still filled with materialistic unfairness.

For decades, authors have documented the gap that exists between schools and homes. Teachers and other professionals who work with children generally desire to support families by providing suggestions, strategies, and other services to help them help their child, however, often report that they feel ill-equipped and unprepared to work with families (Abernathy & Bingham, 2007). Teachers are often unaware of how to involve parents in meaningful ways. “Because of a lack of experience and professional development, many teachers do not have the skills, knowledge, and dispositions necessary to effectively partner with culturally diverse parents” (Sanders, 2008). Providing students with a supportive environment means involving parents in the educational process. Often, parents do not become involved because they do not have anything

The theory that children living in a negative family environment, with little to no family involvement in school, cannot succeed academically has been researched by urban school districts hoping to find the key to make a change. Urban districts with a high number of children who live in poverty, or have language barriers, or lack a strong parental unit struggle with the notion that they cannot change the future of these children. Family involvement dictates much of a

Many parents have multiple children, while working a nine to five job, attending family activities and meetings, and staying on top of bills and home duties. Family life can get hectic and parents may not take the time to realize their importance in their children’s academics. Some parents may be too busy, and others may simply not care, but their involvement in their children’s life is essential. Whether parents or children realize it, involvement of parents in children’s lives positively affects their child’s academic success at all grade levels, including elementary, high school, and even college.

School-based barriers have been acknowledged and even criticized for years for their deficit perspectives, unidirectional approaches to parental involvement and negative school climate (Arias and Campbell, 2008). That is to say, the long-being perspectives for parents from minority groups are lack of formal education, lack of interest in children education, low expectation and lack of resources for home support which result in the negative cooperation between schools and parents. Moreover, the researcher states that unidirectional approach dominates the school practice: “focusing only on what parents can do to support the school or support academic achievement rather than what the school can do to support families”, which means that school do not think outside of box to engage parents in students academic growth, for instance, instilling American cultural values, communicating with their children about the school life everyday after school. In addition to

Is the rising poverty rate of America negatively affecting the education of high school students across the nation? Unemployment, parents’ level of education and a profound list that continues has shown to impact a child’s education. In 2013, “a majority of of children attending our K-12 public schools [came] from low-income families” (Suitts 35). Poverty-stricken students are more likely to receive poor grades than those living above the poverty line. What seems to be affecting the grades of these impoverished students? The constant need to support their family financially, physically, and emotionally. Teachers may be unaware that some students face these hardships throughout their daily lives. They need to understand that students of lower socioeconomic statuses may not prioritize homework over taking care of their family during a time of need. Teachers should be more aware to better serve and understand their students. There is crucial evidence that supports that socioeconomic status does affect the education of those living under the poverty line, but some researchers believe that it has no effect on students’ education at all. Teachers should be more aware how socioeconomic status affects the grades of high school students.

Pemberton and Miller (2015) conducted two phases to assess the effect of parental involvement in a Title I school with a history to low reading achievement. A principal, parent liaison, two first-grade teachers, and four low-income families participated in the study. It was expressed in Phase I through interviews with the administrators and teachers that the lack of parental involvement conveyed that parents do not value their children's education; therefore, severing as the main reason low-income children continue to perform poorly in academic. In Phase II, teachers’ low perception of parental involvement changed to a new appreciation of parents’ participation based on an experiment that partnered parents

For those who live in the United States, some do not see the correlation between poverty and its effects on people’s behavior to their academics. Poverty affects many students at a young age depending on the location they are in as it prevents underprivileged kids to seek higher education. However, with new opportunities [in effect], kids in poverty can have the same education as privileged kids. Poverty stricken students are disadvantaged when trying to obtain a higher education. Children in poverty lose their motivation in school when they do not have the support of their parents. Some other issues students face includes parents not being able to assist their child in school. Another is that the child is not able to go to school because they have to work instead and support their families. Although public education is available to all children, those that live in poverty are deprived of its full potential due to the factors of low family incomes as well as the lack of self-motivation and the importance of having an education.

A common issue within the non-profit education sector is the constant struggle to involve parents (Dunn Shiffman, 2013; Azzi-Lessing, 2010). Dunn Shiffman (2013) describes parent involvement, regarding education, as manifesting in activities such as: “supervising homework, attending a parent teacher conference, and ensuring children go to school ready to learn as well as in setting high expectations” (Dunn Shiffman, 2013, p. 68). However, it can be difficult for many of the parents in low-income communities to balance the interests of their child and the responsibilities associated with being economically self-sufficient (Dunn Shiffman, 2013; Hilado, Kallemeyn, & Phillips, 2013). In a study conducted by Hilado, Kallemeyn, and Phillips (2013)

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

Positive relationships between parents and school exert significant influences on the essential foundations of support for children’s learning and development. Children develop within multiple frameworks; therefore, advancement and learning are optimized when schools establish networks with parents. The purpose of this qualitative, multi-site case study was to examine levels of parent involvement and the impact it had on academic achievement among students attending a high poverty, rural school. The aims within this study were to characterize barriers and obstacles preventing parents from participating in the education process as a method for reducing the learning gaps displayed among student’s enrolled in 6th – 12th grades. A qualitative,

This book helps to explain whether or not parents are the solution to educational inequality. With some policy makers believing parental involvement is the cure, this book chooses to challenge and argue otherwise. The authors attempt to engage the readers from the beginning, by quoting an epigraph of Barrack Obama which pleasantly sets the scene as he states “responsibility of our children’s education must begin at home”. (p.1)

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: