The Pyramid of Support: Strengthening the Relationship between Parents,

Students, and Universities

“Hey mom, I just got notified that I was placed on academic probation. I really struggled

this semester.”

“Okay, son. Let’s figure out what we can do for the upcoming semester. Being one

hundred miles away from home has really affected your mental health and your academics. I will

call and set up an appointment with your academic advisor to come up with an academic plan for

you. You are not alone on this journey!”

However, when the mother attempts to make an appointment for their son, the academic

advisor notifies the parent that the student must make the appointment since the parent is unable

to make the appointment on behalf of the student. Per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy

Act (FERPA), academic records can only be discussed with the student1. For many students in

this country, attending college is one of the most important decisions they will make, but it also

requires the student to take on a lot of responsibility. A student, whether a first-year student or a

transfer student, must be able to quickly navigate the structures an institution has created. For

many students, it can be a very daunting task to do by themselves and look to their parents for

guidance. Howerer, due to FERPA, parents with college age students do not have the same

access to their educational records or resources as they did while the student was enrolled in the

K-12 system, and the expectation is placed on the student. This is a result of those rights

transferring from the parent to the student the moment they enroll at a college or university under

FERPA2.

1 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g (1974).

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
2 FERPA. (1974).
 The transfer of these rights creates a different relationship between the parent, the

student, and the institution. In the K-12 system, there was more open communication between all

three stakeholders in the student's success. With parents and the school acting as the foundation,

a strong triangular support system for the student was created. However, upon entering into a

college or university, the base of this triangle is not as strong as it was in the K-12 system, and

the communication between parents and the institutions was severely reduced. Colleges and

universities have the opportunity to work closer with parents and adapt to new family dynamics

to ensure student success in light of this educational barrier.

FERPA was initially intended to protect a students' educational records in the K-12

system. The policy stipulates that K-12 schools should not share a student’s educational record

with third parties who do not have a legitimate educational interest345. While their student is

enrolled in the K-12 system, parents have full access to their student’s record, including grades,

class schedules, and are allowed to be part of meetings with the student. However, parents do not

have the same access when their student enrolls in higher education, and results in an unstable

foundation for the student.

Although some higher education professionals might present the case that parents need to

learn how to cut the umbilical cord from their children, parents argue that when a university

accepts their student they are also accepting their families. Parents play a pivotal role in their

students' success and with colleges and universities hiding behind FERPA, it does a disservice to

the group that both stakeholders want to see succeed. In recent years, parents have become more

3 Electronic Privacy Information Center. (n.d.). Family educational rights and privacy act
(FERPA). https://epic.org/privacy/student/ferpa/
4 FERPA. (1974).
5 National Forum on Education Statistics. (2006). Forum guide to the privacy of student
information: A resource for schools. U.S. Department of Education.Washington, DC: National
Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006805
involved in their students' K-12 education, such as taking part in Parent Teacher Associations6.

These eager parents desire to continue playing an active role in their students' college experience.

Universities need to understand that FERPA limits the ability for parents to play an active role in

their students' journey and should not deter their eagerness by hiding behind FERPA. Instead,

universities or colleges should want to cooperate with parents to ensure that the student’s needs

are being met. This can be done by creating a parent orientation program to provide them with

information of all the resources the campus provides for their students. By offering such

programming, it will allow for the creation of a partnership between the parents and the

institution.

Additionally, another way to build a strong foundation between the institution and

parents is to ensure that parents have access to campus resources in their native language. Non-

English speakers should not feel like strangers to the university community and the services that

they offer their students. The university should work with outside community members and/or

multilingual staff or faculty to translate webpages, pamphlets, and other communications the

university has to offer. It is equally important to ensure that these translations are culturally

sensitive so that the university does not intentionally offend any prospective students or parents.

By including such a service, it will allow the university to develop more inclusive

communication opportunities for parents. Additionally, it will build a community for parents to

feel welcomed into the university.

Building a strong partnership with parents will help ensure that students will complete

their degree. For many students, the journey to college is not an easy one. If students were able

to easily share more information with parents, it would strengthen the ability for parents to

6 Daniel, B. V., Evans, S. G., & Scott, B. R. (2001). Understanding family involvement in the
college experience today. New Directions for Student Services, 2001(94), 3-13.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.7
support the student. Currently, it is at the discretion of each institution of how much information

they disclose to parents regarding a student’s educational record. According to the American

Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) 2010 FERPA guide

book, it indicates to university registrars that educational records may be released without written

consent from the student if certain situations occur such as a medical or safety emergency, when

a violation of alcohol or drugs occurs and the student is under 21 or if the student is declared as a

dependent by the student7.

However, the institution may still deny a student’s request to share their educational

record with their parents. The power to decide who has access should not solely rest with the

institution but should be given to the student to decide. A way an institution can achieve this is

by allowing the student to indicate at the beginning of their college career what information they

want to share and with whom. This option does not have to be set in stone throughout a student’s

education career, as access could be changed at any time depending on the student’s

circumstances. By permitting the student to have autonomy over their student record, it provides

them with the flexibility to allow their families to be involved.

This flexibility in who the student chooses to have access to their educational records

accounts for different family structures, as not all students grow up in a traditional family

household. Today, some college students come from homes with divorced parents, unmarried

parents, stepparents, grandparents, guardians, and a combination of these family units8. With

these different relationships, it could also be that the student does not want to share with parents,

as they might not be in the picture. By allowing the student to have autonomy, as previously

stated, it does not add any additional pressure on the student to have to explain to a university as

7 Rooker, L. R., & Falkner, T. M. (2010). 2010 Ferpa guide. Washington, DC: American
Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
8 Daniel et al. (2001).
to why they are wanting to provide information to a loved one that does not fall under the

traditional parent moniker.

Parents and families are wanting to ensure that their students, much like the mom at the

start of our piece, are supported. These families are known as umbrella families, a term that is

use to describe families that are “standing next to their student, rather than in front of their

student” and “hold the umbrellas, thus freeing students’ hands to do their own work at the

college or university”9. In order to ensure that parents are able to hold this umbrella and provide

the right information to their students, it is essential for parents and universities to communicate

with each other. However, because universities tend to hide behind FERPA when parents are

wanting to gather information, it is imperative to open up to parents rather than shut them out.

This communication is the key to building the strong foundational base to support students. If a

student is having trouble succeeding, like the student at the beginning, then the parent,

university, and student can come up with a game plan to ensure the student succeeds and

ultimate graduates.

9 Donovan, J. A., & McKelfresh, D. A. (2008). In community with students' parents and
families. NASPA Journal, 45(3), 384-405. https://doi.org/10.2202/1949-6605.1879