Marlon Williams-Clark Concordia University EDGR 535

Definition of Parental Involvement  Parent involvement is the support and participation of parents at home, in the community, and at the school site that directly and positively affect the educational performance of all children.

“Research shows that children do better in school and are less likely to drop out when fathers are involved. Engaged parents can strengthen communities, mentor and tutor students, and demonstrate through their actions how much they value their children's education.” -Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education

Reasons why low SES parents are not involved  Working all the time (DeTorres)  Not comfortable around teachers (DeTorres)  Feelings of inadequacy. For many parents, school was not a positive experience. They may feel they do not possess the skills to help. (Dwyer and Hecht)  Perceive themselves outside the school system and feel it is the school's responsibility to do the teaching (McDormott and Rothenburg, 2000)  Feel ineffective, therefore don’t get involved (McDormott and Rothenburg, 2000)  Cultural and communication differences between teacher and families (McDormott and Rothenburg, 2000)  Schools are that welcoming (McDormott and Rothenburg, 2000)

Advantages and Positive Effects of Parental Involvement The children of parents who are involved  are absent less frequently  behave better  do better academically from pre-school through high school  go farther in school  go to better schools  For additional effects parent involvement have read “15 Proven Effects of Parental Involvement in Schools” at parental-involvement-in-schools/ parental-involvement-in-schools/ Gurian, M. (n.d.). Involved Parents: The hidden resource in their child’s education. Retrieved March 26, 2013 from _children039s_education

“The child’s first teacher is the parent” -Unknown

What low SES parents can do themselves to be available  Organize their time  Make daily routines for time for learning  Do a few things at once  Find someone to help Mayer, E., Kreider, Vaughan, P. (1999). How busy parents can help their children learn and develop. Harvard Family Research Project. Retrieved from resources/how-busy-parents-can-help-their-children- learn-and-develop

Suggestions for what low SES Parent can do with their children  Read to their children; then discuss those books and stories  Help your child organize his/her time  Limit television viewing on school nights  Check for completion of homework; if the parent works at night, have a family member or neighbor to help with this  Ask questions about what the child has learned

Suggestions for what low SES Parent can do with the school  Attend parent teacher conferences  If time for conferences are slim, build a rapport with the teachers via or telephone  Go to the school on days off to get caught up with what is going on at the school  Attend school events whenever available Notice these are suggestions that won’t infringe on the busy lives of the parents.

What the school can do to increase parental involvement for low SES students  Be aware of different cultural backgrounds to understand how to communicate with the parent  Be more flexible to accommodate the availability of parents  Keep an updated web site  Host events that bring parents and family into the school, not just conferences

What schools can do (cont.)  Create a warm, respectful and welcoming school environment  Provide a variety of resources for parents, such as an after hours help line, s with instructional help and tips for parents, and access online to see the teachers’ gradebooks.

What teachers can do  Encourage students to get feedback about their homework or something new they learned  Create web sites that announce what’s going in the class, class expectations, parent resources to help students in that particular class

References (n.d.) Improving student achievement and outcomes through parent and family involvement: Tips and strategies for increasing parent and family involvement in Virginia schools. Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved from easing_Parent_Involvement.pdf easing_Parent_Involvement.pdf Mayer, E., Kreider, Vaughan, P. (1999). How busy parents can help their children learn and develop. Harvard Family Research Project. Retrieved from involvement/publications-resources/how-busy-parents-can-help-their-children-learn- and-develop Gurian, M. (n.d.). Involved parents: The hidden resource in their child’s education. Retrieved March 26, 2013 from en039s_education en039s_education Detorres, M. (n.d). Investigating parental involvement. Retrieved from mrp.pdf Dwyer, D., Hecht, J. (1992). Minimal parental involvement. Retrieved from McDormott, P., Rothenburg, J. (2000). Why urban parents resist involvement in their children’s elementary education. The Qualitative Report, Volume 5, Numbers 3 & 4. Retrieved from