Ref erences

Cooper, C. E., Crosnoe, R., Suizzo, M., & Pituch, K. A. (2010). Poverty, race, and parental involvement during the transition to elementary school. Journal of Family Issues,
31(7), 859-883.

Cotton, K., & Wikelund, K. R. (1989). Parent involvement in education. School Improvement Research Series, 6, 1-15.

Desforges C. & Abouchaar, A., (2003). The impact of parental involvement, parental support and family education on pupil achievement and adjustment: A literature review.
DfES Research Report 433.

El Nokali, N., Bachman, H., & Votruba-Drzal. (2010). Parent involvement and childrens academic and social development in elementary school. Child Development, 81, 988
1005.

Henderson, A.T., & Berla, N. (Eds.) (1994). A new generation of evidence: The family is critical to student achievement. Washington, D.C.: National Committee for Citizens in
Education.

Niehaus, K., & Adelson, J. (2014). School support, parental involvement, and academic and social-emotional outcomes for English language learners. American Educational
Research Journal, 51(3), 1-36.

Zuckerberg, A. (2013). Parent and family involvement in education, from the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2012 (NCES 2013-028), Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Table 2. Available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013028.pdf
Ms. Mac
product i ons
Conclusions and Recommendations
Be as involved as possible as early as possible.
The research results are conclusive: parental involvement leads to higher student
achievement, both socially and academically. Plus, it helps the school and local community.

Communicate with the teacher and school staff.
Teachers, principals, and all school staff want parental involvement because they know it
benefits the school. If theres an obstacle to parental involvement, ask the school for help.

Look into many different ways to get involved.
Dont be limited by the walls of the classroom.

There is no such thing as too much involvement (but ask the child
for feedback).
Talk to the child. Talk to the teacher. Talk to the school. What are the needs of each? Do
what you can within your own limits and positive results will follow.

A MONTHLY
EDUCATION
JOURNAL FOR
PARENTS ParentTimes
Interested i n
Learni ng More
about Parental
Invol vement ?

For more information, feel
free to visit the National
Coalition for Parent
Involvement in Education
website (ncpie.org).



What Does
Parental
Invol vement
Mean?

Parental involvement refers to
the amount of participation a
parent has in regards to his or
her childs education and life
as a whole. This newsletter
will focus solely on parental
involvement in education.

What are
Exampl es of
Parental
Invol vement i n
Educati on?

o Helping with homework
o Staying on top of
assignments and grades
o Volunteering at the
school
o Attending Open Houses,
parent-teacher meetings,
and other school and
classroom events
o Discussing activities
children engage in at
school
o Partaking in educational
activities as a family (for
example, trips to the
museum and/or library)

An Introduction to Parental Involvement
Most parents want their children to be
successful in school, and most parents strive
to be involved in their childrens education in
order to help facilitate that success. But the
fact of the matter is that parental involvement
in education is on the decline. In 2007, 89%
of parents reported attending a general
meeting at their childs school, but in 2012,
only 87% did so. Similarly, in 2007, 46% of
parents volunteered or served on a school
committee, while in 2012, only 42% did so
(U.S. Department of Education, 2013).
Experts in the field of education are
concerned that this decline in parental
involvement could negatively impact overall
student achievement.

The main reason for the decline is that there are many
obstacles to parental involvement, such as: a lack of
time, money, transportation, childcare, institutional
savvy, fluency in English, and so forth. However,
there are different types of parental involvement, many
of which can be done in the comfort of home. For
example, one parent might be involved by helping his

child with homework every night, while another parent
might be involved by volunteering to hang student work
on the walls within her childs classroom. While one
type of parental involvement takes place at home and
the other type of parental involvement takes place at
school, both are forms of parental involvement and
both are important in regards to student achievement.

To address the issue of parental involvement in
elementary schools, parents need to be made aware of
how parental involvement can affect a students
academic and social success. When parents know
about these positive effects, the motivation for parental
involvement will potentially increase.

This newsletter will provide an overview of existing
research on parental involvement, and it will present
teacher inquiry research from a high-performing
elementary charter school in San Diego in the form of
a case study. Finally, a comparison between the
existing research and the results of the teacher inquiry
research will lay the foundation for recommendations
for parental involvement.
This Issue
Introduction P.1
Research Overview P.2
Case Study P.3
Conclusions and Recommendations P.4
I SSUE
J UL Y
20 14
01




Figure 2 (below): Percentage of fifth graders who
reported that their parents involvement in their education
positively affected their learning in elementary school.













Figure 1 (above): Percentage of kindergarteners who reported
feeling happy or a similar positive emotion when their parents
volunteered at their school and/or in their classroom.
Why is
Parental
Involvement
Important in
the Elementary
Years?
Given the long-term
importance of early education,
a childs learning and
achievement in elementary
school can affect the trajectory
of his or her academic career
(Cooper et al., 2010). Simply
put, how a child performs in
elementary school is an
indicator of how he or she will
perform in middle school, high
school, and college. While
many factors can potentially
affect a students learning and
achievement in elementary
school, parental involvement is
the most accurate predictor
(Henderson & Berla, 1994).

When it comes to getting involved in
a childs education, the sooner, the
better. It is never too late to make a
difference, but the sooner parents get
involved in their childrens education,
the more powerful the effects from
this involvement can be (Cotton &
Wikelund, 1989).

When a students family is able to
create a home environment that
encourages learning, express high


An Overview of Existing
Research
Benefits for the
Children

Higher achievement, regardless
of ethnic or racial background,
socioeconomic level, or parents
education level

Higher grades, test scores,
school attendance, and
graduation rates

Better social skills, self- esteem,
and increased motivation and
fondness for school

Benefits for the
Parents

Increased interaction and
discussion with children

More confidence in parenting
and decision-making skills

Stronger ties to the school and
its teachers

Benefits for the
School and
Community

School programs that encourage
and involve parents usually have
higher quality programs than
programs that do not involve
parents

Teachers and principals acquire
a better understanding of
families culture and diversity

Community support and
participation increases
A Case Study of Parental Involvement
Parents are
encouraged to
complete five
hours of
volunteer work
each month at
this school
because we
know parents
make a
difference.
Principal


Do I like
involved
parents?
Absolutely. The
best way for
students to
retain
information is if
parents are
reinforcing it at
home.
Kindergarten
teacher


I check my
sons homework
every day and I
always know
what hes doing
in the clasroom.
Just by being
aware, I am
involved in his
schooling and
furthering his
learning.
Parent of a fifth
grader
expectations for their childrens
achievement, and become involved
in their childrens education at school
and in the community, a wide range
of positive effects can occur,
including: consistent homework
completion; better grades, test
scores, and attendance; and easier
transitions between grades
(Henderson & Berla, 1994).
advanced social skills (El Nokali et
al., 2010). This correlation may be
attributed to the fact that in
elementary school, parent-teacher
communication largely focuses on
social and emotional issues. Through
communication with the teacher, a
parent can help a child improve upon
his or her non-academic skills, such
as how to resolve conflicts with a
classmate or how to minimize off-

Sino lenis vulputate, valetudo ille
abbas cogo saluto quod, esse illum,

These positive
effects can have a
domino effect and
lead to even more
positive effects. For
example, if a student
experiences smooth
transitions between grades in the
elementary years, he or she will be
less likely to drop out of school in
later grades.

The benefits of parental involvement
extend far beyond the academic
realm of the elementary classroom
and reach into the social and
emotional realm. Research shows
that higher levels of parental
involvement are linked to fewer
behavioral problems and more
task behaviors
(Niehaus &
Adelson, 2014). In
addition, parental
involvement leads
to children having
higher self-esteem
and self-beliefs. In turn, this type of
positive self-image actually
encourages higher achievement in
the classroom for many years to
come.

It is important to note that parental
involvement has a positive effect on
childrens achievement even when
the influence of background factors
such as social class and family size
have been taken into account
(Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003).
Parental involvement is
the most accurate
predictor [of student
achievement]
Henderson & Berla, 1994
The following case study was
performed over a three month
period with teachers, students,
and parents at a high-
performing elementary charter
school in San Diego. The case
study participants were
observed, surveyed, and
interviewed. All questioning
was based on the impact of
parental involvment.

40 kindergarteners were
administered an oral survey, in which
they had to describe an emotion that
corresponded to different scenarios,
such as: How do you feel when your
parents help out at school? 38 of the
40 students responded with a version
of the word happy (see Figure 1).
In the upper grades, 46 soon-to-be
graduating fifth graders took a written
survey, in which they answered
questions about who contributed
most to their homework completion,
final grades, and upcoming
graduation. While their answers
were more diverse that those of the
kindergarteners, 83% of the students
attributed at least part of their
success to their parents guidance
and support, both at the school site
and at home (see Figure 2). One
student wrote, Without my moms
help, I wouldnt be graduating.

These results corroborate the
aforementioned research regarding
how parental involvement positively
impacts students in both the
academic and social realms. The
kindergarteners were happy and
motivated to do well in school simply
by their parents continual presence,
while the fifth graders ackowledged
that their parents were instrumental
in their overall achievement in
elementary school.


Resul ts from El ementary Student Surveys

Parents
Siblings
Friends
No One
Other
Happy
Don't Know