The Most Effective Approaches to Increasing Parental Involvement

Abstract

The paper is by a first year master’s student in the introductory educational research class. Her problem was “What is the most effective approach to increasing parental involvement with positive student achievement outcomes in grades K-8 She found educators must use a variety of methods to obtain and sustain parental involvement. Schools must be proactive by explicitly inviting parents to be their partners Interactive homework (student notebooks, checklists, quick notes, and reminders) has powerful potential for promoting family-school partnerships which increase constructive learning outcomes. Using technology can help make home-school links more effective. When parents and the educational system join together, positive benefits abound. Attendance, test scores, and high-school graduation rates improve. Teachers have higher expectations for parents and students and they develop more positive feelings about teaching. Extensive parental involvement promotes healthy neighborhoods and good schools.