Home Resource Center Parent/Family Engagement

Resources on Parent/Family Engagement in a Child's Education

1. What does Parent/Family Engagement Look Like?
2. What Happens as a Result of Parent/Family Engagement?
3. Parent/Family Engagement and College Admissions 
4. What are Successful Techniques for Engaging Parents/Families? 
5. Other Research and Programmatic Resources  

1. What does Parent/Family Engagement Look Like?
   While definitions of parent/family engagement vary depending on the source, a useful framework has been developed by Dr. Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Epstein has identified six types of involvement:
   • Parenting – basic parenting including discipline, setting expectations, and providing a home environment conducive to learning;
   • Communicating – contact, both parent- and school-initiated, pertaining to student academic performance and planning;
   • Volunteering – volunteering at school events or other community events related to education;
   • Learning at Home – involvement in learning activities at home, including homework and extracurricular learning ventures;
   • Decision Making – participation in school decision making and/or governance through a parent organization; and
   • Collaborating with community – Coordinating learning with community activities for families (Epstein et. al., 1997).
   
   *For more information about Dr. Epstein's Six Types of Involvement Framework, please visit the National Network of Partnership Schools' website at: http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/sixtypes.htm
   
   
   
2. What Happens as a Result of Parent/Family Engagement?
   The latest in a series of publications focusing exclusively on summarizing results of current research in the area of parent/family involvement, A New Wave of Evidence, was published in 2002. The study found that students with involved parents, regardless of background or income, were more likely to:
   • have higher grades and test scores;
   • participate in higher level courses;
   • pass their classes, earn credits, and be promoted;
   • attend school regularly;
   • demonstrate good social skills and behavior;
   • adapt well to the school environment; and
   • graduate and enroll in postsecondary education (Henderson & Mapp, 2002).
   
   Increasing numbers of parents are also getting involved in school and community organizations that empower them to have a voice in decision making processes and demand accountability for their children’s schools. The effects of incorporating parents/families in the decision making process are often seen through:
   • Upgraded school facilities.
   • Improved school leadership and staffing.
   • Higher-quality learning programs for students.
   • New resources and programs to improve teaching and curriculum.
   • New funding for after-school programs and family supports” (Henderson & Mapp, 2002, p.8).
   
   *The complete Henderson & Mapp report is available for download at http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf
   
   
   
3. Parent/Family Engagement and College Admissions
   In addition to incorporating parents/families into academic and decision making processes, research shows that parent/family involvement plays a critical role in the college admissions process as well. 92% of tenth graders who participated in an ACT study stated that their mother provided some sort of assistance in planning for their future; 79% said the same for their fathers. Yet despite this strong reliance on parents, focus groups of survey respondents found that these same parents could provide little information on postsecondary planning. ACT has identified four key areas of concentration for parent/family involvement in this area:
   • Academic Preparation, focusing on the importance of a pre-collegiate curriculum beginning in middle school;
   • Assessment Information, regarding the interpretation of standardized test scores and understanding of testing requirements;
   • College Planning, so families are aware of the requirements and processes involved in college admissions; and
   • Financial Aid, ensuring that families are familiar with the various options available for financing higher education (Wimberly & Noeth, 2004).
   
   * The complete Wimberly & Noeth study is available for download at http://www.act.org/research/policy/pdf/involve_parents.pdf
   
   
   
4. What are Successful Techniques for Engaging Parents/Families?
   Henderson & Mapp (2002) make the following recommendations for putting parent/family engagement research into practice:
   • “Recognize that all parents – regardless of income, education, or cultural background – are involved in their children’s learning and want their children to do well.
   • Design programs that will support families to guide their children’s learning, from preschool through high school.
   • Develop the capacity of school staff to work with families.
   • Link efforts to engage families, whether based at school or in the community, to student learning.
   • Build families’ social and political connections.
   • Focus efforts to engage families and community members on developing trusting and respectful relationships.
   • Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power with families. Make sure that parents, school staff, and community members understand that the responsibility for children’s educational development is a collaborative enterprise.
   • Build strong connections between schools and community organizations.
   • Include families in all strategies to reduce the achievement gap among white, middle-class students and low-income students and students of color” (p.8).
   
   *The complete Henderson & Mapp report is available for download at http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf
   
   
   
5. Other Research and Programmatic Resources
   The following list is a sampling of the research and programmatic resources available on Parent/Family Engagement. If you have enjoyed any additional sources, please feel free to share them with the virtual community!
   
   
   • Pennsylvania's Education Policy Information Clearinghouse provides a host of links to information on parent and community involvement.
     
     
   • The Discovery Initiative is a Connecticut-based program that helps schools develop and implement action plans, counting parental involvement as one of their core values. They provide an extensive list of research articles and programmatic ideas.
     
     
   • The National Association of Secondary School Principals is an organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The mission of NASSP is to promote excellence in school leadership. The section on Family Engagement includes a variety of resources.
     
     
   • The National Center for Family & Community Connections with Schools, a division of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, focuses on finding and sharing research- based information to help people take action and make connections among schools, families, and communities. Their resource center provides a many links to pertinent information.
     
     
   • The National Center for Family & Community Connections with Schools' research syntheses, which summarize the findings of a wide variety of current research on specific topics, are very helpful. Of particular relevance are the reports “A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement” and “Diversity: School, Family, and Community Connections”.
     
     
   • The National Clearinghouse on Comprehensive School Reform collects and disseminates information that builds the capacity of schools to raise the academic achievement of all students. There website includes a section on Involving Parents and Communities and has a variety of resources available.
     
     
   • The National Middle School Association, a national education association dedicated exclusively to the growth of middle level education, conducted research on the perceived roles of family members, community members, and teachers in the middle school setting.
     
     
   • The National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University brings together schools, districts, and states that are committed to developing and maintaining comprehensive school-family-community partnerships. Director Joyce Epstein’s framework of six types of parental involvement makes educators aware of the variety of strategies partnerships can incorporate and encourages educators to incorporate each type of involvement when developing comprehensive school-family-community partnerships. Definitions, sample practices, and potential challenges are discussed on their website.
     
     
   • National PTA is an association of parents, educators, students, and other citizens active in their schools and communities. The parental involvement section of their website provides information on how to build successful partnerships, standards for parental involvement, and other resources.
     
     
   • North Central Regional Educational Laboratory is dedicated to helping schools—and the students they serve—reach their full potential, specializing in the educational applications of technology. They provide information regarding parental involvement strategies and ways to build community.
     
     
   • PTO Today serves as a resource for parent group leaders and as a reliable connection between those leaders and parent group marketers. Their Parent Involvement Section provides programmatic resources and ideas.