Parental Involvement Practices Research Articles

Parent Involvement Practices in Child Protection: A Matter of Know-How and Attitude

Modern view of child protection services implies that to help young people, simply intervening on their behalf is not sufficient. It suggests that involving parents in the assistance process is essential in order to ensure that they are most likely to play their role as parents to their children in the fullest possible way. Although several articles have dealt with the issue of parent involvement, very few have attempted to document the practices used by practitioners to encourage such involvement. This article presents the findings of a study on child protection practices for involving parents in a child protection context. It is exploratory in nature, and uses a qualitative methodology. The study population is made up of 38 child protection service workers. An analysis of the practitioners’ discourse reveals that the behaviour and attitudes used by them to encourage parent involvement are very diverse. There also appear to be key moments in securing their involvement, that is, making contact, setting objectives and means of action, and applying the case plan. In addition to corroborating earlier studies on the issue of parent involvement, our findings indicate that the majority of the caseworkers interviewed practice an approach that aims to empower clients.

Changing the Nature of Parent Involvement

THERE'S parent involvement and then there's parent involvement. There's the kind that has parents volunteering their time in schools, making costumes, or organizing and staffing the school carnival fund-raiser. This is helpful activity by any measure -- helpful in the service of kids and not to be minimized. But there are other levels of involvement at which parents might have more significant impact than just giving of their time and money. For example, Maryland's Parent Advisory Council has a vision of involvement in which parents, families, educators, and community members work together as real partners, hold themselves mutually accountable, and have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed at improving the achievement of all Volunteering at their child's school might be the first step on a ladder of multiple levels of parental influence. The second level might be faithful attendance at school conferences and school activities. Up from there could be serving as a parent representative on school improvement committees and spending time in classrooms, tutoring or reading one-on- one with students. Next on a scale of increasing importance might come parents holding up their end of the bargain by making sure their children do their homework, have a quiet place to study and materials at hand, and attend school on time, every day. And yet even this important level of involvement might not have as much impact as having high expectations for their children's effort and behavior -- which, to continue with this rough metaphor, would be my pick for the top rung. Too frequently, however, parent involvement is defined as those activities that are easiest to measure. Currently, 17 states have grant or award programs that encourage schools or districts to involve parents in their children's education or recognize those that do so already. But are these programs based too conveniently on hours volunteered, money raised, conferences attended? And 15 states have policies that encourage, urge, expect, or direct employers to enable parents to attend school activities such as parent/teacher conferences. Though these activities are important, it's often easier for educators to talk to parents about what they can do for the school than it is to listen to parents about what they know their kids need to be successful. Unfortunately, sometimes when parents appear not to care, it's because they know that what they have to say won't be heard. Statewide Parent Advisory Council When state superintendent Nancy Grasmick appointed parents from across the state to the Maryland Parent Advisory Council, her goal was to generate big-picture ideas on how to improve working relationships between parents and school personnel. In February, the council released nearly two dozen recommendations addressing the five themes of accountability, training, leadership, partnership, and communication. The recommendations, which call for action mainly at the state level, include the following. Accountability. Require each local school system, along with representatives from advocacy and community groups, to assess regularly the effectiveness of parent and community involvement policies and practices and, based on the results, to develop improvement plans that will be incorporated into the systems' master plans. Provide support to local school systems in creating a family involvement satisfaction survey and administering it annually to parents. The results of the survey would be factored into the annual performance evaluations of administrators and other staff members. Create incentives for the state department, districts, and schools to develop more effective communication and partnerships with parents and the community, including businesses. Training. The state education department should assess the training needs of local school systems with regard to parent and community involvement and then provide appropriate technical assistance, resources, and mentoring. …

Toward a Rearticulation of a Discourse on Class within the Practice of Parental Involvement

Class is essentially a person’s social position in relation to others within a cultural context. This article examines two representational approaches used in a study of parents’ perceptions of parental involvement to discuss the critical role representation plays in the production and reproduction of current discourses on class. Although these approaches both use the parents’ stories to engage the reader, one combines these into group-oriented “cultural stories” whereas the other focuses on individual-based “contextual stories.” The role these two forms of narrative might play in redressing the oppressive practices that contribute to maintaining class positions within social and cultural contexts is examined. The author concludes that localized scrutiny of social practices represented through the contextual stories enables a deeper understanding of how social class identities and positions are the result of different actions and interactions shaped within a shared social practice of involvement.

Disrupting the Logic of Home-School Relations: Parent Involvement Strategies and Practices of Inclusion and Exclusion

Disrupting the Logic of Home-School Relations: Parent Involvement Strategies and Practices of Inclusion and Exclusion

Envolvimento de pais em creche: possibilidades e dificuldades de parceria

O envolvimento de pais com a educação das crianças, hoje no Brasil, é muito pouco investigado, seja na educação infantil ou nos outros níveis de educação. No entanto a literatura estrangeira nos aponta vários caminhos dependendo do foco da pesquisa. Neste estudo, a literatura usada foi a tipologia de Epstein (in Brandt, 1989), as esferas sobrepostas (Epstein, 1987), ambas baseadas na teoria ecológica de Bronfenbrenner (1979, 1996), e o modelo das pirâmides invertidas de Hornby (1990). O objetivo deste estudo consistiu em identificar os aspectos da relação entre a creche e os pais no que se refere à comunicação, expectativas e dificuldades de relacionamento, contribuições e as estratégias utilizadas para o envolvimento dentro da perspectiva dos pais, professoras e atendentes. Este estudo usa dados qualitativos coletados em entrevistas (questionário semi-estruturado) com 33 pais de crianças de 0 a 6 anos, 7 professores e 8 atendentes de uma creche de iniciativa voluntária. Os resultados, depois de análise feita através de categorias, mostram que a comunicação existente impossibilita a proximidade e trocas de informações. A atitude da creche para os pais é calcada numa postura de oferecimento da assistência à criança e a atitude dos pais na receptividade limitada calcada numa postura de favorecimento por estes serviços. O desconhecimento sobre as possibilidades de envolvimento exclui os pais, e delega à creche o poder de decisão sem a participação ativa da família.

Redefining Parental Involvement: Lessons From High-Performing Migrant-Impacted Schools

Migrants are one of the most academically vulnerable groups in the United States, constantly faced with economic, health, and work-related problems that translate into lower academic achievement and higher dropout rates. These hardships make it difficult for schools to effectively negotiate the parental involvement terrain and promote academic success for this group. Because of the paucity of literature on effective parental involvement practices for migrants, we sought to fill this gap in the literature. Using a qualitative approach, interviews and observations were conducted in four effective migrant-impacted school districts throughout a 5-month period. Findings suggest these schools were successful at involving parents because they aimed to meet parental needs above all other involvement considerations. In other words, schools were successful not because they subscribed to a particular definition of involvement, but because they held themselves accountable to meet the multiple needs of migrant parents on a daily and ongoing basis.

Expanding Knowledge of Parental Involvement in Children's Secondary Education: Connections with High School Seniors' Academic Success

This paper analyzes data from the parent and student components of the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 to investigate family educational involvement in secondary education. It examines connections between parental involvement practices and the educational outcomes of high school seniors. Utilizing multiple involvement indicators for the 8th and 12th grades, the study concludes that the nature of relationships between parental involvement and 12th grade educational outcomes depends on the type of parental practices and educational outcomes considered. Parental involvement indicators are not associated with achievement growth between the 8th and 12th grades. However, a number of parental involvement indicators are associated with seniors' enrollment in an academic high school program and with their coursework in core academic subjects. High levels of educational expectations, consistent encouragement, and actions that enhance the learning opportunities of children are the family practices that are positively associated with the above educational experiences of high school seniors. The relationships between parental involvement and educational outcomes exist regardless of students' socioeconomic or race/ethnic background and regardless of whether parental practices are measured in the middle grades or in high school.

The Parenting of Immigrant Chinese and European American Mothers: Relations Between Parenting Styles, Socialization Goals, and Parental Practices

Clarification of the cultural meaning of parenting for immigrant Chinese was determined, focusing on parenting style as well as socialization goals and practices. Although the cultural relevance of an alternative parenting style, training, has been demonstrated for Chinese parents, the broader-level cultural values or socialization goals and parental practices that may be related to training have not been examined. Immigrant Chinese n = 95 and European American n = 52 mothers of children in the first through third grades completed measures of Baumrind's parenting styles and Chao's training items, in addition to measures of socialization goals and practices (parental involvement in school). This study found that Chinese mothers endorsed the training, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles, while also endorsing socialization goals for filial piety and structural parental involvement practices in comparison with European American mothers. However, additional analyses for examining ethnic group differences in the associations between training and the other parenting scales, these associations were similar for immigrant Chinese and European American mothers.

THE VALUE OF 4-H COMPETITIVE ACTIVITIES AS PERCEIVED BY THE PARENTS OF 4-H MEMBERS

The major-purpose of the study was to examine perceptions of 4-H parents in Districts II and IV in the Texas 4-Hprogram relative to the educational value of competition in the 4-H program. Two-hundred-fifty parents whose children were currently or formerly enrolled in the 4-H program were sampled from the population. The parents in the study had a very positive attitude toward competition in 4-H, regardless of demographic background. The major reasons the parents had their children participate in 4-H competitive events were because they perceived it enhanced their child’s personal skill development and self esteem. The major concerns the parents had about 4-H competitive activities centered on excessive parental involvement and unethical practices. 4-H parents in the districts varied in their attitude toward competition, primarily because of three factors: (I) senior volunteer leaders tended to be more positive toward competition than junior leaders, (2) individuals who participated in 4-H camp tended to be more positive toward competition, and (3) those former 4-H members who enrolled in 4-H at a later age tended to be more positive toward competition.

Parent Involvement in Inner-City Schools

This article examines the parent involvement practices and philosophies of an urban education model that has been integral in developing collaborative relationships between parents and schools. This model sought to enhance student performance by redefining school as the extended family for urban students and parents. A 4-year study concluded that when parents were involved with this process, student achievement and parental commitment to education far surpassed that of students and parents who remained in the more traditional school setting.

Learning Together: The Student/Parent/Teacher Triad

ABSTRACT This report contains an analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data on participant perceptions of the co‐production of learning. It constitutes a refinement of the working model of the triadic relationship between parents, students, and teachers which was the basis of previous reports (Coleman, Collinge, & Seifert, 1992; Coleman, Collinge, & Tabin, 1992; Coleman & Tabin, 1992; Coleman & Collinge, 1991). Given our earlier findings the focus in this paper is upon the theme of collaboration, which is emerging as one critical element in the relationships within the student/teacher/parent triad. The analysis shows that there are sharp differences in perceptions of collaboration between different triad members. Collaboration between parents and students is perceived to be both strong and balanced in initiation. Teachers show little awareness of its strength. Collaboration between teachers and parents is perceived by both to be one‐sided; each party sees the other as unresponsive. It is invisible to students. Collaboration between students and teachers varies between classrooms, and seems to be based upon the teachers’ perception of student acceptance of responsibility; parents are very keenly aware of this collaboration where it exists. Classroom level differences are also strong; teacher attitudes and practices clearly determine the extent of collaboration. In British Columbia parent and student attitudes towards classrooms and teachers are affected, sometimes strongly, by teacher practices of parent involvement. These attitudes contribute to parent and student rating of particular schools.

Effective Schools and Home‐School‐Community Partnership Roles: A Framework for Parent Involvement

ABSTRACT The increased interest in parent involvement as a strategy for school reform stems from two bodies of parent involvement research. One set of studies examined family learning environments; the other investigated the impact on student learning of school‐initiated parent involvement programs. This article reviews these two bodies of research, which have influenced current discussions about home‐school partnerships, shows the relationship between practices of successful home‐learning environments and effective schools research, and uses this relationship to propose a typology of home‐school‐community partnership roles and activities. When the research on effective family practices is combined with effective schools research and placed within a typology of partnership roles, schools have a framework for examining current parent involvement practices and exploring strategies that will enhance student learning both at home and at school. *This article is adapted, with permission, from an Occasional Pap...

Teachers' Perspectives on Their Work with Families in a Bilingual Community

Abstract Teachers' work with families in linguistically, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse communities has not been studied systematically. This study provides a review of research on teacher-parent relations integrated with three teachers' perspectives on their work with families in a bilingual community. Observations and interviews with teachers and parents over the course of a school year provided rich, in-depth data for analyzing teachers' perspectives on teacher-parent interactions in this bilingual setting. Teachers cited prior experiences working with families as influencing their attitudes and practices of parent involvement. They also discussed a wide range of resources and contexts for informal interactions with parents and colleagues in which they constructed knowledge for working with families. Implications for future research and program development to support teachers' work with families in diverse communities are discussed.

Principals and Parent Involvement in Wisconsin Middle Level Public Schools

The primary purpose of this study was to identify parent involvement practices used in Wisconsin middle level schools, and to determine the extent to which those parent involvement practices are consistent with Epstein's five-part model of parent involvement in schools. The study also examined questions involving the relationship between characteristics of the school and principal and the Epstein model of parent involvement.The predominant practices identified involved basic obligations of the parents and the school. Parent involvement in decision making and governance and with home learning also occurred, but with less frequency than practices related to providing information to parents about parenting or about the school and its programs. The least prevalent practice identified was the involvement of parents as school volunteers.School characteristics influencing parent involvement practices include enrollment, grade configuration, location, percentage of staff sending home positive messages about students, arid the percentage of staff providing assistance to parents helping students with school work. The characteristics of the principal influencing parent involvement practices include longevity and level of educational attainment.Wisconsin public middle schools regularly engage in a variety of parent involvement practices and many of those practices displayed high and statistically significant relationships with each other. Furthermore, certain background characteristics of the school and principal were related to the types of parent involvement practices reported.

Principals, Parents, and Administrative Superiors

Many recent reform efforts contain a strong parental involvement component. However, the hierarchical governing system of most schools is not eroding as parent participation increases. An outcome of the increasing levels of parental involvement is that the principalship is becoming more a middle manager position than in the past. The central question posed in this study is, how do the relationships among principals, parents, and administrative superiors affect the extent to which parents are involved in educational policy-making at the school-site level? A stratified random sample of elementary school principals in Israel participated in a study about parental involvement practices. The results indicate that the nature of the relationships differ for principals of high-and low-SES schools. The study highlights the importance of studying parental involvement from a political perspective of the school organization

Severity of asthma and parental discipline practices

This study investigates the responses of both mothers and fathers to childhood asthma, and the implications of parents' ratings of the severity of the condition for perceptions of the child and discipline practices. Young children (6 years and under) with asthma were divided into two groups according to the severity of their disease. A mild group (= 19) received treatment medication only and a moderately affected group (= 18) received prophylactic daily medication. Mothers and fathers differed in their ratings of how severely the child was affected. Neither did they agree about triggers which precipitated asthma attacks. There were few differences in terms of parental involvement or discipline practices as a function of severity. Children with moderate asthma were perceived to enjoy life more, were less difficult in certain situations and more affectionate than those with milder asthma. The results point to the need to understand the fathers' role in caring for a chronically sick child, and the implications of asthma for parents' perceptions of, and behavior toward the child.

School Programs and Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement in Inner-City Elementary and Middle Schools

This study uses data from 171 teachers in 8 inner-city elementary and middle schools to examine the connections between school programs of parent involvement, teachers' attitudes, and the practices that teachers use to involve parents of their own students. Patterns are examined at 2 levels of schooling (elementary and middle), in different academic subjects, under various classroom organizations (self-contained, semi-departmentalized, departmentalized), and under different levels of shared support for parent involvement by the teachers and significant other groups. Each of these variables has important implications for the types and strengths of school programs and teachers' practices of parent involvement. The results add to the validation of Epstein's typology of 5 types of school and family connections. The data used in this study were collected as the first step in a 3-year action research process in which the sampled schools are engaged. The process is outlined in terms that any school can follow to improve programs and practices of parent involvement.

A review of research on playgroups

This paper reviews research on playgroups in the United Kingdom. Subjects covered include the geographical distribution of playgroups; the backgrounds of families who use them; the concept and practice of parental involvement; the position of playgroup workers; and the experience of children in playgroups. The review finds that the majority of children attend playgroup at some stage, mostly for 2 or 3 half‐day sessions per week. Parental involvement is higher in playgroups than in other pre‐school services, although there is much variation. Attendance at preschool appears to have benefits to the child, although the evidence is not such as to show whether playgroups are better or worse than other forms of provision in this respect. The review concludes that more research needs to be carried out into the provision and effectiveness of services for under‐5s.

Parents' Reactions to Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement

The Elementary School Journal Volume 86, Number S O 1986 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0013-5984/86/8603-0002$01.00 Teachers have strong opinions about parent involvement. Some believe that they can be effective only if they obtain parental assistance on learning activities at home. Others believe that their professional status is in jeopardy if parents are involved in activities that are typically the teachers' responsibilities. The different philosophies and beliefs of teachers reflect the two main, opposing theories of school and family relations. One perspective emphasizes the inherent incompatibility, competition, and conflict between families and schools and supports the separation of the two institutions (Parsons, 1959; Waller, 1932; Weber, 1947). It assumes that school bureaucracies and family organizations are directed, respectively, by educators and parents, who can best fulfill their different goals, roles, and responsibilities independently. Thus, these distinct goals are achieved most efficiently and effectively when teachers maintain their professional, general standards and judgments about the children in their classrooms and when parents maintain their personal, particularistic standards and judgments about their children at home.

Parent Involvement: A Survey of Teacher Practices

The Elementary School Journal Volume 83, Number 2 ? 1982 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 001 3-5984183/8302-0009$01o.00 Teachers approach their instructional tasks with a variety of perspectives and strategies that emphasize certain aspects of teaching and deemphasize others. For example, some teachers teach language skills using organized games, while other teachers teach the same skills by direct instruction. Teachers adopt different approaches to the same subject matter partly because their teaching situations differ. Their students may have different learning problems or their classrooms may have varied resources and facilities. Even in the