This discussion includes the sections listed below. To navigate through the discussion, use the links below to focus on the section of interest or use the Previous/Next buttons to go through each section in order.
With the complex problems confronting our nation today, schools cannot afford to function independently, acting in isolation from other segments of the larger society. As Barbara Hopkins and Frederick Wendel (1997) note, "The concept is to keep the ‘public’ in public education and to involve the community in raising the child."
It can be argued that now more than ever before it is essential for schools to establish ties with other parts of the community. Partnerships can be mutually beneficial to schools and the other community entities with which working relationships are forged.
The process of creating partnerships varies greatly with regard to organization and structure, duration, and scope of interest. In some cases, coalitions represent a broad-based community effort to improve the school system as a whole. In other cases, they seek to accomplish special objectives or administer particular projects.
Although the methods of building coalitions differ, all strategies share the same goal: to form alliances with groups external to the schools whose support can build a stronger educational system. In recent years, some coalitions have expanded their goals to include community and family issues, such as homelessness, at-risk youth, racism, school safety and violence prevention, and substance-abuse prevention.
Fostering Parent Involvement
Parent involvement in the educational process has enjoyed increased support and interest recently, in part due to the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, which states: "By the year 2000, every school will promote partnerships that will increase parental involvement and participation promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children" (Patrikakou and Weissberg 1999). In addition, under the Improving America's Schools Act, Title I requires local schools and districts to involve parents in improving student achievement, carrying out collaborative improvement projects and developing school policies. Many states are also mandating some form of parental involvement in schools (Black 1998). This increased interest in parental involvement recognizes the vital role that parents play in their children's educational attitude and outcomes.
Parents have a major influence on children’s success in school and academic performance. Parent involvement has been shown to increase students’ academic achievement, improve their behavior and motivation, reduce absenteeism and dropping out, and foster a positive attitude toward homework ( Harold Hester 1989). Hara and Burke (1998) studied the implementation of a parent-involvement program at the third-grade level of an inner-city school. The program resulted in a significant improvement in reading achievement and vocabulary for students whose parents became more involved in their schooling.
Children reap benefits when fathers as well as mothers are highly involved in their children’s school (Christine Nord 1997). There may also be "certain aspects of children’s school performance and certain stages in the children’s academic careers where fathers’ involvement is particularly important" (Nord). Research has found that children are more likely to get As in school and are less likely to be suspended or expelled when their fathers are highly involved in their schools. Nord (1998) suggests that schools can increase parent involvement by doing more to build relationships with fathers as well as mothers.
Students are not the only ones who benefit from parent involvement. Teachers may discover that after increased involvement in the classroom, parents have a new respect for the role teachers play and the impact they have on children. Parents may also become more interested in education, and some parents may even seek out more learning opportunities for themselves (Hara and Burke).
Social capital—the relationships and interactions among people—also increases when school-home partnerships are formed.
How do students want their parents to be involved in schools? When Hara and Burke surveyed students about parental involvement, students said they wanted their parents to attend performances or athletic events, accompany them on field trips, serve as a resource for class activities, help with school fundraising programs, and take advantage of learning opportunities offered by the school.
Several obstacles stand in the way of school-family partnerships. For example, some parents may be intimidated by teachers and view them as "experts" who have no need for parental input. Other parents lack confidence when it comes to helping their children academically. In addition, parents whose own school experience during childhood was unpleasant or unsuccessful may still view school-based education in a negative light. Parents themselves may be uneasy about the extent of their involvement in schools. A recent survey by Public Agenda, a nonprofit, New York-based opinion-research group, reveals that while parents are eager to volunteer their time as chaperones, or to assist with afterschool events, they expressed little interest in helping to govern schools. Only 25 percent of parents said they would be "very comfortable" helping to plan the school's curriculum (Bradley 1999).
School personnel have their own misconceptions. Teachers may feel their "turf" is being invaded and fear that parents are trying to undermine their authority. Schools may communicate to parents either subtly or more overtly that "the teacher knows best," thereby discouraging parents from raising questions or concerns about the education their children are receiving. In addition, some teachers prejudge certain parents as unwilling or unable to help their children academically. Teachers also cite ack of training and time as barriers to involving parents.
However, parental involvement may not be positive in every case, according to Cooper and Mosley (1999). They (1999) suggest that school personnel should assess whether parents are able to provide a home environment that is conducive to learning (for example, free from abuse or neglect) before encouraging them to become actively involved in the school environment.
According to Black (1998) a parental involvement can sometimes turn into interference. She suggests that schools need to build both "bridges and buffers" for parent involvement. Bridges need to be built so that parents can help their children succeed in school, but buffers need to be in place to allow teachers and administrators to do their job and exercise their professional expertise. In other words, there needs to be mutual trust between parents and the school so that both parties can work with, not against, each other.
As the benefits of parent involvement become more evident, educators are increasingly committed to overcoming barriers and areas of misunderstanding that can arise among both parents and school personnel. On a practical level, there are steps schools can take to facilitate parental involvement. Patrikakou and Weissberg (1999) say that partnerships must be a priority for both teachers and parents and must be carefully planned. Teachers also should communicate with parents not just when students misbehave, but when they are doing well. Communication should be regular (conferences, newsletters, phone calls) as well as personal. Some teachers are taking communication one step further by visiting student's homesÑand not because of student discipline problems or low grades. Many districts are finding that these friendly visits provide families an opportunity to learn more about their children's teachers and understand the school's program and volunteer opportunities. Successful home visits should be voluntary and respectful of families, experts say (Black 1999).
Another important step schools can take to increase parental involvement is to regularly monitor school-family activities to evaluate their effectiveness. Lunenburg and Irby (1999) recommend that schools should assist parents whose first language is not English.
These steps alone are not sufficient, however. Effective outreach to parents begins with several assumptions: all families have strengths that can be built upon, most parents care deeply about their children, cultural differences are to be valued, parents of at-risk children have the capacity to learn new skills and techniques for helping children at home, and parents will benefit from feeling empowered.
Compiled by Linda Lumsden and Elizabeth Hertling
