ParentalInvolvement:Overcoming

BarriersandWorkingTogetherasa
Community

BrendaAnaya
StacyJoslin
MartiSchwartz
ChristinaLee
BlackstoneAcademyCharterSchool
May12,2015

Immediatelywhenshewakesup,Madelynstartsoffherdayonthewrongfoot.Asthe
clockgetscloserto8,sherushestogetherdaughterreadyforanotherdayatschoolandbarely
makesitwithtimetospare.Suddenly,hercarbreaksdownandMadelynisstuckonthesideof
thestreet,waitingforhelp,buthopelesslylatetoherfirstjob.Shelosesseveralhourswhich
couldhavebeenusedtopayforadaysworthoffood.Throughouttheirdailylives,parentssuch
asMadelyncanbeaffectedbymultiplestressesduetotheirsocialoreconomicstatus.Despite
thesestresses,parentsstillaimtoprotectandprovidethebesttotheirchildevenifitmeans
havingtomakesacrifices.Whiledifferentfamiliescanprovidemoreresourcesandmaterialsto
theirchildthanothers,theimportantaspectistheparentseffortstohelp.Parentshavetherole
ofraisingtheirchildandbeingtheirsupportsystem.Yetparentsmaynotbelievethemselvesto
beresponsiblefortheirchildseducation,ratherassumingittobetheteachersandschools
responsibility.Regardlessoftheirreasoning,parentsmaybelievethattheyareunabletoprovide
theirchildwiththehelpneededinordertoexcelinschool.Whileformaleducationisinvaluable,
achildsintellectualdevelopmentbeginslongbeforeformaleducation.Duetomultiplesocial
andeconomicfactors,parentsmaybeunawareofthepositivebenefitsoftheirinvolvementand
doubtfulthattheycanpreparetheirchildforschool.Withthehelpofcommunityinitiatives,
parentscanlearndifferentmethodsinordertocontributetotheirchildslearning.

Despitethemanyyearsachildspendsinschool,themostcrucialmomentsoflearning
occurwithinthefirstyearsoftheirlife:farbeforetheyenterschool(EarlyLearning).Parents
oftenareunawareofthesignificanceoftheirinvolvementdespitehowcruciallearningisduring
thistime.Parentsaretheirchildsfirstteacherandthemostimportantteacheraccordingto

ElaineKoons,anearlychildhoodconsultant(PreschoolU:ExpertVideoLanguageand
LiteracyDevelopment).

Becauseparentsmaybeunfamiliarwiththebenefitsoftheir
involvement,theirchildmayenterschoolwithoutthenecessaryskillsinordertostartlearningin
theclassroom.Asthechildprogressesthroughtheireducation,theywillcontinuetohave
difficultytryingtolearnandkeepingupwiththeclassspaceduetotheirparentslackof
involvement.

Despitetheurgencyforparentstobeinvolvedintheirchildseducation,thereareseveral
barriersthatpreventparentsfrombeinginvolved,suchastheireducationlevel,theirincome
levelortheirlimitedEnglishlanguageskills.Duetothesefactors,parentsmayhesitatetobe
involvedastheybelievethattheydonothavetheproperskillstohelptheirchild.Studieshave
shownthatincreasedamountsofparentinvolvementaffectsthechildsacademicsuccessand
tendstoinfluencetheirbehaviorpositivelyatschool(Reglin24).Astheeffectsofparent
involvementarebecomingmoreknown,itisimportantthatparentsdependnotonlyonschools
forassistance,butalsoonlocalcommunityresources.Thereareseveralmethodstoeducate
parentsonhowtoassisttheirchildthroughtheireducation.Bycommunicatingwiththeschools
andusingtheirlocalresources,parentscanobtainnewstrategiestohelptheirchildlearnathome
whilealsoforgingastrongrelationshipwithschoolsandthecommunity.Thesecommunications
withthecommunityareessentialinassistingparentsinfacingtheproblematthecore,whilealso
educatingthemabouttheschoolsandhowtoadvocatefortheirchildaswell.

Whatarethechallengesthatparentsface?

EducationLevel
Whileparentsmightbeconsideredatfaultfortheirlackofinvolvementintheirchilds
education,thereareseveralvalidreasonsfortheirhesitationdespitetheirdesiretobeinvolved.
Amongthesefactors,parenteducationlevelisonethatcorrelatesstronglytotheirchilds
preparednessforschool.Acharya,aresearcherintheDepartmentofPsychologyatBanaras
HinduUniversityinIndia,conductedastudyfocusingonachildsacademicmotivationand
foundthatparentswithahighereducationhavehighacademicexpectationsfortheirchild.Asa
result,theyareabletohelptheirchildandprovidethemwithstrongerskillssuchascognitive
andlanguageskillsearlyon(78).Theseparentshaveabetterideaofhowtohelptheirchildat
homebecausetheyhavepriorknowledgeandexperiencewiththeeducationsystem.
Accordingly,theseparentsareabletoteachtheirchildrenskillsessentialtogettingaheadstart
inschool.Toillustrate,Figure1

demonstratesthatchildrenwithacollegeeducatedmotherhave
ahigherskilllevelcomparedtothosewithahighschooleducatedmother.Thegraphrevealsthat
while7%ofpreschoolers,withamotherwhodidnot
finishhighschool,knowthealphabetand36%can
countto20,thepercentageofpreschoolerswhocould
dosowithacollegeeducatedmotherwere37%and
73%respectively(Trelease).Asthegraphsupports,
parentswithahighereducationhaveabetter
understandingofhowtopreparetheirchildforschoolandareabletoprovidethemwith
enhancedskillsthatleadtoearlyacademicsuccess.

Notonlycanparenteducationlevelbeanindicatorofchildacademicsuccess,butitcan
alsocreateagapbetweenparentsandteachers.AccordingtoWrightin2009,parentswitha
lowereducationleveloftenfounditintimidatingtospeakwithteachersduetothegapintheir
vocabulary.Parentsclaimedthatteachersoftenusedwordsthattheydidnotunderstandwhen
discussingtheirchildsacademics(26).Ifparentsareunabletocomprehendthevocabularythe
teacherisusing,thenparentswillnotcompletelyunderstandwhatisoccurringwiththeirchild.
Furthermore,parentswillbegintoseeteachersmoreasformalfiguresinsteadofsomeonethey
canspeakwitheasily.Itisessentialforparentstofeelcomfortablewithteachersasthey
communicatebecauseitallowsparentstofeelcapableofdiscussinganyconcernstheymayhave
abouttheirchild.Withoutthisessentialpartnership,engagingparentswithintheschoolwill
continuetobeanissuethatneedsimprovement.

IncomeLevel
Justasparentsofalowereducationlevelstruggle
withinvolvementwithinschools,alowerfamilyincome
canalsobecomeanegativefactorthatcanaffectaparents
involvement.Becauseofthestrongcorrelationbetween
both,theeffectsonachildsacademicsandskilllevels
areoftenidentical.In1995,HartandRisley,college
professorsinHumanDevelopmentandPsychology,wereamongthefirst
educatorstoinformthepublicofthe30MillionWordGap.This30MillionWordGap
becameknownthroughtheirresearchastheyfoundthatchildrenfromlowincomefamilies

heard30millionwordslessthanchildrenfromhighincomefamilies.Theyconductedastudy
comparingthevocabularyofanimpoverishedchildtoahighincomechild.AsFigure2
demonstrates,notonlydiditrevealthatimpoverishedchildrenhadalowervocabulary,butthat,
overtime,thesechildrenhaddifficultyexpandingtheirvocabulary.Furthermore,Hartand
Risleyfoundthat86%98%ofthewordsrecordedineachchildsvocabularyconsistedof
wordsfromtheirparentsvocabulary(Hart8).Throughthisstatistic,itisclearthatvocabulary
developmentcanfollowthroughgenerations.Thisstrugglewithdevelopingtheirvocabulary
occursduringtheirchildhood,butmayfollowthemthroughtheiradultyears.Lateron,itcould
affecttheirchildrensvocabularydevelopment.

Throughthisstruggle,theselowincomechildren
arealsoatagreaterriskoffallingbehindwhentheystartschoolandtheirparentsmaybeunable
toprovidetheresourcesinordertoassistearlyacademicsuccess.

Evenifparentswantedtohelptheirchildrensacademicdevelopment,therearestill
factorsthatkeepthemlessinvolvedandmaybeunabletoattendthedifferentprogramsattheir
childsschool.Withinlowincomefamilies,Yeungfoundthattheseparentsoftenworktighter
schedulesandbecomementallyexhaustedduetoseveralstressesintheirlives(3).Parentsmight
nothavethechancetophysicallyvisitorevenmakecontactwiththeirchildsschoolorteacher
becausetheymaybeindesperateneedoftheextraworkhours.Duetotheseconditions,
lowincomefamilieshavelesstimetospendwiththeirchildrenincomparisonwith
higherincomefamiliesandinadditionhavelesstimetocommunicatewithteachers(Yeung6).
Withoutthisessentialtime,parentsareunabletomakethecontributiontheyneedinorderto
helptheirchilddevelopskillsforschool.


LanguageBarriers
DespitebeingthemostcommonlanguageintheUnitedStates,Englishmaynotbea
personsnativelanguage.BecausethemajorityofpeoplewhodonotspeakEnglishareSpanish
speakers,thereareoftentranslatorsforSpanishspeakers,buthardlyanyforpeoplewhospeaka
differentlanguage.InSanFrancisco,therewasasurveyamongChineseparentsthatrevealed
that96%indicatedthattheywereunsureifschoolshadtranslatorsfortheirnativelanguageand
50%wantedbetterlanguageassistance(Yasui5).Theseparentshavetousethelimited
Englishthattheyknowtotrytocommunicateandunderstandwhatisbeingsaidbytheteacher
becausetheydonothaveatranslator.Thustheymaybeunabletoreceivetheinformationthey
needtoknowinordertohelptheirchild.Becausetheseparentswantbetterlanguageassistance,
itisevidentthattheywanttodotheirpartinhelpingtheirchildwiththeireducation.Bynot
providingthemwithatranslator,theseparentsarenotgettingtheopportunitytoeffectively
participateintheirchildseducation.

SchoolsResponsibility
Althoughtherearepeoplethatagreeparentinvolvementisessentialinachildslearning,
therearealsopeoplethatdisagreewiththatidea.Fromtheirbirthtotheirfirstdayofschool,
childrenneedtolearnmanybasicskillsinordertobepreparedforschool.Duringthistime,the
schoolhasnoresponsibilityforteachingachild.Whenthechildentersschoolunprepared,itwill
bedifficulttohelpthemcatchupespeciallyconsideringthelowincomechildrenthatare
affectedbythewordgap(Hart).Despitetheconceptofbeinginvolvedearlyonandcontinuing

theirinvolvement,someparentsbelievethatitssolelytheschoolsresponsibilitytoteachtheir
childandaddressthechildsneedsbecausetheythemselvesareunableto(McDermott).Based
ontheirownpersonalexperiences,parentshavecreatedtheirownideasoftheschoolsystem.
Someparentsfeeloverwhelmedandpressuredwithwhattheschoolisaskingthemtodo.A
motherclaimsthatsometimeswecannothelpbecauseitstoohard,referringtothehomework
givenbyteachers(Finders).Parentsleavetheteachingtotheeducatorsastheyarenotconfident
withtheirabilitiestohelpandsupporttheirchild.Althoughschoolsdooffertheirchildformal
education,itbeginstoolateandmayresultintheirchildfallingbehindandhavingtrouble
academically.Formaleducationbenefitsthehigherincomechildrenastheirparentshave
sufficientexperienceandknowledgeoftheeducationsystem.Thesehigherincomeparentsare
confidentintheirabilitytoassisttheirchildinlearningimportantskillstogetaheadstartin
school.Ontheotherhand,thechildrenfromalowerincomefamily,andevenchildrenwhose
parentshavealoweducationlevelorhavenonEnglishspeakingparents,haveparentswho
strugglewithadaptingtothisconceptofearlyinvolvement.

Whatisthecommunitydoingtoassistparents?
ProvidenceTalks
Ascommunitiesarewitnessingthepositivebenefitsofparentinvolvementbothina
childswellbeingandtheiracademics,therehavebeenseveralinitiativesthatfocusonteaching
parentshowtohelptheirchild.SpecificallyinProvidence,RhodeIsland,AngelTaveras,the
formermayor,tookactiontohelptheatriskchildreninthecity.MayorTaverasunderstoodthe
relationshipbetweenparentinvolvementandtheirchildsacademicsuccessashefollowedthe

researchonthe30MillionWordGap.HefoundthatoneinthreeProvidencestudentswasnot
startingschoolwiththeproperskillsthatleadtoearlyschoolsuccess(Research).Inorderto
closethewordgapandprovideparentswiththehelptheyneed,Taverasappliedtothe
BloombergPhilanthropiesMayorChallengewiththeproposalofProvidenceTalksandwon
thegrandprizeof$5milliontofundtheprogram(Zimmer).Throughthisinitiative,Taveras
aimedtoeducateparentsonstrategiestheycanusetonotonlyclosethewordgap,buttoalso
betterpreparetheirchildrentoenterschool.

ProvidenceTalksisafreeprogramdevelopedtoassistlowincomechildrenin
vocabularydevelopmentwhilealsoteachingparentsstrategiestoassisttheirchilds
development.ParentsparticipatinginProvidenceTalksreceiveawordpedometerusedto
countthenumberofwordstheirchildwillhearfromtheirparentsthroughconversation.Using
thedatacollectedthroughthewordpedometer,parentsreceivedcoachingfromatrainedhome
visitorandweretaughthowtheycouldimprovetheirchildslanguagedevelopment.Throughout
thepilotstageoftheprogram,parentsincreasedthenumberofwordstheysaidby55%,while
acknowledgingthegrowthintheirchildsownvocabulary(About).ThroughtheProvidence
Talksprogram,itisclearthattheselowincomeparentsmightneedassistanceinunderstanding
howtheycanhelptheirchild.Beforetheprogram,theyspokelessfrequentlytotheirchild
withoutknowingit.Parentswereabletorealizetheirpartintheirchildsvocabulary
developmentandreceivehelponhowtodotheirpart.TheProvidencecommunityworked
togetherwithfamilies,taughtthemnewstrategiesthatcanconstantlybereusedandprovedthat
thiseffortcanimprovetheirchildslanguagedevelopment.Providenceisoneamongmany

lowincomecommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates.Thisprogramwasimplementedtohelp
thefamiliesinthecommunityanditprovedthatparentsareabletomakeapositiveinfluenceon
theirchildspreparednessforschoolwithhelpfromthecommunity.ProvidenceTalksis
demonstratingnationwidethatthroughperseveranceandhardwork,allcommunities,despite
incomelevel,willbeabletomakeapositiveinfluenceonthefamiliesintheircommunity
throughacollaborationbetweenthemandthecommunity.

CommunityinitiativessuchasProvidenceTalksareessentialinincreasingparent
involvement.Asparentsbegintoseethattheirrolecontributestotheirchildssuccess,theywill
bewillingtoworkwiththeircommunityinordertolearnmoremethodstohelp.AshleyCox
enrolledintheprogramwithher16montholdson,Jaiden,duringthepilotstageoftheprogram.
Hersonimprovedhisspeechlevelbyalmost20%afteroneweekoftheprogram.Hismother
said,IwasexpectingittogoupbutnotasmuchasitwentupsoI'mmorehappythatitwentup
more,(Gerber).Bysimplyspeakingmorewordstotheirchildren,parentsaremakingapositive
contributiontotheirchildsvocabularydevelopment.Astheirchildcontinuesonwiththeir
education,parentswillbecomemoreconfidentinassistingtheirchildslearning.

DorcasInternationalInstituteofRhodeIsland

InthesamewaythatProvidenceTalksworkswithfamilies,theDorcasInternational
InstituteofRhodeIslandprovidesawiderscaleofprogramsthatassistparentsinbecoming
moreconfidentandmoreskilledinhelpingtheirchild.SimilartoProvidenceTalks,Dorcas
providesareadinginterventionprogramaimedatensuringthatchildrenareatappropriate

literacybenchmarksbythethirdgrade.Participantsoftheseprogramsareusuallyrecommended
throughconnectionsbetweencertainschoolsandDorcas.VolunteersatDorcastypicallywork
withschoolsaswellandcansuggestaprogramtoaparenttheyknowattheschool.
Additionally,Dorcasalsoprovidesadultliteracyclasses,familyengagementprograms,adult
Englishclasses,andmuchmore(FamilyLiteracy).Withtheseprogramsreadilyavailable,
parentsareabletolearnmoreabouttheeducationsystemandgainmoreknowledgeofhowto
interactwithschools.

Onceparentsbeginparticipatinginoneoftheseprograms,theyaresettingapositive
examplefortheirchildastheytakeinitiativetolearnforthemselvesandareabletocontribute
moreeffectivelytotheirchildseducation.Egle,amotheroftwo,wasabletolearnmoreabout
howtohelpherchildrenwhenshebegantakingprogramsatDorcas.BeforeEglewasinvolved,
shedidnotknowanythingabouttheschoolsystemsorwhatwasexpectedofhersinceshehad
onlyrecentlycometotheU.S.Oncesherealizedherchildrenwerestrugglingacademically,she
tookactionandenrolledintheprogramsatDorcas.EgleclaimedthatDorcastaughtherthatshe
neededtobeinvolvedandshebecameamemberoftheParentTeacherOrganizationather
childrensschool(OurStories).JustasinEglescase,parentscanlearnessentialskillsthat
theycanconstantlyusetosupporttheirchildsendeavorsinschool.Withthoseskillsathand,
parentswillhavetheknowledgeandabilitytoconfidentlysupportandadvocatefortheirchilds
academicsuccesswhenevertheirchildisinneed.

ItisessentialthatorganizationslikeDorcas
becomemoreavailablethroughouttheUnitedStates.WithinProvidence,therearemorepeople
likeEglewholearnednewapproachestoovercometheirchallengesandbecomemoreinvolved

10

withschools.Oncetheseopportunitiesareopentoawideraudience,suchasopeningmore
officesthroughoutRhodeIsland,morepeoplewithasimilarsituationasEglewillbeableto
offerthehelptheirchildneedsinschools.Theywilllearntonothidefromtheirchallenges,but
tofacethem.

CityYearandPartnerSchools
Besidesthedifferentoutsideorganizationsworkingwithfamilies,CityYear,anonprofit
organizationwithfacilitiesallovertheUnitedStates,isonethatworksdirectlywithschools
withintheU.S.suchasthoseinProvidence.ThemaingoalforCityYearistoclosethegap
betweenstudentsandtheiracademicpotentialcausedbyoutsidefactorssuchaspovertylevels
(TheProblem).Byworkingwiththeschools,CityYearisnotonlyaimingtohelpthechildren,
buttheirparentsaswell.WithinCityYear,thereareseveralcommitteesusedtohelpplanevents
meanttoinviteparentstotheschools.AccordingtoCourtneyTuomi,aCityYearworker,they
offerseveralactivitiessuchaspotlucksandparentnightsinordertogetparentsinsidethe
school.Althoughnotasmanyparentsattendastheywouldlike,thecommitteesunderstanditsa
processandarealwayswillingtocomeupwithnewideastogetparentsinsidetheschool
(Tuomi).Theseeducatorsareabletolearnmoreabouttheparentsandfindwaystobetter
interactwiththemthroughtheseparentactivities.Parentsmayalsobecomecomfortablewiththe
schoolandseeitasahelpinghandratherthanjustafacilityfortheirchildren.Oncetheseparents
becomecomfortable,theymayparticipatemoreattheseworkshopsandevents,andmayeven
encourageotherparentstoparticipateaswell.

11

WorkingalongsideCityYear,GipsysLuna,aFamilyReachAmbassadoratCarlG.
LauroElementarySchool,alsocontributestobringingparentsinsidetheschoolandinforming
themoftheimportanceoftheirinvolvement.LunadoessimilareventsasCityYeartobring
parentstotheschool,butsheprimarilycreatesaworkshopbasedontheMindintheMaking
curriculum.Sheteachesparentsdifferentwaystocommunicatewiththeirchildandwiththe
schooltoaddressanyneedstheirchildmayhave.Parentshavegrowntospeakwithher
comfortablythroughtheseworkshopsandevents.Lunastatesthatparentsbecomemoreopen
abouttheirstruggles.Throughthiscommunication,shelearnshowtohelpparentsastheyopen
upabouttheirneedsandfindthemresourcesthatwillhelpthemovercomethestrugglesthey
face(Luna).Theseinteractionscanleadeducatorstobetterunderstandtheparentsandthe
communitywhichtheylivein.Therearecommontrendsfoundinparentsandchildrenofthe
samecommunity.Educatorscanbecomemoreknowledgeableinhowtohelpthefamiliesofthe
communityandalsoreferthemtolocalorganizationsthatcanhelpthem.Theconnection
betweentheschoolandtheparentscanbefacilitatedthroughtheneedsthatareconstantlyseen
throughoutthecommunity.

ChallengesforSchools
Inadditiontoformaleducationbeginningafterthecruciallearningmoment,some
schoolsmaylackadequateresourcestohelpthesechildrenlearn.CynthiaHudleyfromthe
AmericanPsychologicalAssociationstatesthatsometeachersworkinginlowincomeschools
havetouseoutdatedtextbooks,computers,technologyandinadequatematerialstoteach
lessonstothechildrenintheirclass.Asaresult,theremaybelowchildacademicachievement

12

andengagement.Despitetheclaimsofteachingbeingtheschoolsresponsibility,it,too,is
limitedtoprovidingonlywhatitcantothechildrenintheirschool.Becausesomeschoolslack
certainresources,itisessentialforthemtoprovideparentswithinformationandoutside
resourcesparentscanuseinordertohelptheirchildoutsidetheclassroom.

Ontheotherhand,someschoolsalreadyhavedifficultygettingparentsintotheschool.
Duetotheirperceptionsofschools,someparentsoftenhesitatetocommunicatewithteachers.
Theseparentsexplainthatbecauseofcertainaspectsoftheirlives,theycannotbuilda
relationshipwiththeschools.Asaresult,someschoolsmaymistakenlybelievethattheparents
donotcareabouttheirchildortheireducation(Finders).Onceschoolsbegintounderstand
parentsfromtheirperspective,thencantheybegintobuildastrongrelationshipbetweenthe
schoolandparents,andbetterassistparents.Throughovercomingtheirnegativeperceptionsof
schoolandusingtheircommunityresources,parentscanlearntoadvocatefortheirchildand
assistthemwiththeiracademicstruggles.

Whatcanbedonetoincreaseparentinvolvement?
RecommendationsforParents
Mindfulofsocialandeconomicbarriers,therearemanyactivitiesthatparentscandoto
assisttheirchildwithoutneedingtohaveacollegedegreeorawellpayingjob.Parentsprimarily
needtobethesupportsystemtheirchildneedsinordertoovercomeanyacademichardships.
AccordingtoElishPiper,inadditiontoregulardiscussionsabouteducationandschoolin
general,itisessentialforparentstoatleastdiscusswiththeirchildtheimportanceof

13

perseveranceandgrit(61).Throughouttheireducation,theirchildwillalwaysfacechallenges
thatmayhamperthemfrommovingforward.Parentsneedtosupporttheirchildthrough
academicstrugglesandencouragethemtoworkharder.ElishPiperalsoincludestheideaof
havingagrowthmindset,whereinpeoplebelievethatintelligenceisgainedthroughworking
hardandovercomingdifficulty.Bycommunicatingandteachingtheseideastotheirchild,
parentsaremakinganeffectivecontributiontotheirchildslearning.Itisimportantforchildren
tohearwordsofencouragementastheymaybelievethattheyarenotgoodenoughforcertain
areasofstudy.Childrenneedtobelievethattheycanimproveacademicallyorovercomeany
obstaclestheyface.InastudyconductedbytheUniversityofChicago,Gunderson,aformer
professor,foundthatwhenparentspraisetheirchildseffortandprocess(ex.Youworkedso
hardonthat)aroundtheageof14and38months,theirchilddemonstratestheconceptofa
growthmindset(12).Oncechildrengainmoreconfidenceintheirabilitiesthroughtheirparent,
theythencanbegintoimproveacademicallyastheybelieveinperseveranceandinagrowth
mindset.

Simpleencouragementcangoalongwayintermsofperseverance,buttherearemore
subcategoriestoparentinvolvement.Itisamuchbroaderconceptthansimplybeinginvolved
withtheschool.AccordingtoEpstein,therearesixdifferenttypesofparentinvolvement:
parenting,communicating,volunteering,learningathome,decisionmaking,andcollaborating
withthecommunity(42).Withinthesetypesofinvolvement,Parentingrepresentsaparents
responsibilitytotakecareofandsupporttheirchild.Themainconceptthatisstrainedthrough
parentingiscreatinganenvironmentthatwillhelpthechildasastudentandlearningwhatthey

14

candotohelp.Communicatingistheideathatparentshaveaconstantcommunicationwiththe
schoolandviceversainordertobeupdatedwithwhatisoccurringwithintheschool/athome.
Volunteeringistowardsparentswhoarewillingtotaketimetohelptheschoolinside
classroomsoratschoolevents.Learningathomeinvolvesparentshelpingtheirchildwiththeir
homeworkorotherschoolrelatedactivities.DecisionMakingisanideathatparentswillbe
informedonschooldecisionsandbecomepartofthevotingsystem.Collaboratingwiththe
Communityrepresentstheconceptthatfamilieswillbeabletousetheirlocalresourcestoassist
theirchildslearningandstrengtheninghomestrategies.

Parentsdonotneedtodoallofthesixtypesofinvolvement,buttheyallhaveacommon
idea:becomingpartnerswiththeschools.EveninParentingorLearningatHome,parentscan
learnnewstrategiesthatcanassistthemathomethroughcommunicatingwiththeschoolsand
teachers.Byfosteringthisrelationshipwiththeschool,parentsmaystartoffonlyusingtwoof
theseinvolvements,butitcanleadtothemexploringtheseothertypesofinvolvement.By
havingdifferentoptionsopentothem,thereislesspressureplacedupontheparentsiftheywere
unabletoattendscheduledeventsanditgivesthemalternativewaystostillbeinvolvedwiththe
schoolsandteachers.Despitetherebeingmultiplemethodsofinvolvement,themostessential
oneiscommunication.Withoutcommunicationbetweenparentsandteachersorschools,there
willbedifficultytryingtoaddresstheconcernsthateitherhaveintermsofachild'sprogress.
Throughcommunicationandinvolvement,parentswillbetakingastepfurtherinunderstanding
whatoccurswiththeirchildatschoolandhowtheycanhelp.

15

RecommendationsforTeachers
Asparentslearnthestepstheyneedtotaketowardsinvolvement,itisessentialfor
teacherstodotheirpartinguidingtheparentsthroughtheprocess.Onoccasions,teachersmay
puttheblameonparentsfortheirlackofinvolvementwiththeschool.However,theymaybe
unawareofthechallengesfamiliesfacewithinthecommunity(Smith49).Thiscancreatea
barrierthatwillpreventteachersfromknowingwhichwaystohelptheparents.Bymakingan
efforttospeakwithparentsandwelcomingtheminsidetheschool,itwillprovideteacherswitha
betterperspectiveontheneedsoftheirfamiliesandviceversa.Thiswillnotonlyincreaseparent
involvement,butalsoassistparentsinfeelingcomfortablespeakingtheirneedsandgettinghelp
withtroublestheycannotfaceontheirown.AsSuzannePanferov,adirectorattheCenterfor
EnglishasaSecondLanguageinArizona,stated,Asteachers,teachereducators,andschool
administrators,learningthestoriesofourstudentsandtheirparentswillincreaseparental
involvementandenrichtheeducationalexperienceforall,(112).Byworkingtogether,parents
willgaintheconfidencetobeamoreengagedandactivepartnerintheirchildseducation.

Overall,parentinvolvementhasasignificantimpactonachildsacademicsuccess.Some
parentsdonotunderstandtheroletheirinvolvementplaysintheirchildseducationbecauseof
differentfactorsthatpreventthemfrombeinginvolved.Inordertoovercomethesebarriers,
parentsmustworktogetherwiththeirchildsschoolandthecommunity.AroundtheRhode
Islandcommunity,thereareseveralorganizationsdesignedtoassistparentssuchasProvidence
TalksandDorcasInstitute.Withthehelpofschoolsandtheseorganizations,parentswillbegin
toseehowtheyinfluencetheacademicachievementoftheirchild.Oncetheyrealizetheirrolein

16

theirchildseducation,parentscanmaketheefforttoprovidetheirchildwiththenecessary
knowledgeandsupport.Theycanbecomeadvocatesfortheirchildseducationandmakea
differenceinnotonlytheirchildseducation,butwithintheschoolsandtheeducationsystem.
Bytakingtheseadditionalsteps,parentswilllearnthattheydonothavetofaceproblemsalone
becausetheyhavetheschoolandcommunityhelpingthemgaintheknowledgetohelptheir
child.

17

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McDermott,Peter,andJuliaRothenberg."WhyUrbanParentsResistInvolvementinTheir
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