Students desire parental involvement in their education, which typically correlates with elevated academic accomplishments. Although parents frequently engage during elementary school, their participation often slows down during high school. An analysis of 748 urban students across grades explored their attitudes toward family involvement in education. This diverse sample included 449 African-American students, 129 Hispanic students, and 121 White students. The study differentiated between high- and low-achieving students in math and English (or reading for elementary levels). Ethnic disparities in students' perceptions of family involvement were also examined.

What were the results of the study?

Across all grades, students sought parental aid with schoolwork and displayed positive views about utilizing parents as educational resources. Notably, elementary students displayed more requests and favorable attitudes than secondary students. High- and low-achievers alike expressed interest in parental engagement. Yet, at the elementary level, high-achieving Hispanic math students exhibited more positive attitudes than their lower-achieving counterparts. Generally, African American and Hispanic students exhibited more tremendous enthusiasm for parental involvement than White students.

In this research, Houtenville and others discuss how parents' involvement affects students' performance. Researchers used information from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) to determine parents' contribution to their student's education. A formula was created to analyze the parent's efforts. They also looked at what factors influence how much effort parents make, like details about the child, the parents, the home, and the school. It concludes that if a parent is involved actively, it significantly and positively impacts a child (Houtenville et al.,2008).

How can educators work to implement parent contributions in the classroom?

Educators should engage parents proactively to boost their involvement and establish a cooperative relationship in their children's schooling. Often, parents are unaware of their influence on their children's learning experience, irrespective of their educational background. Teachers have the potential to guide parents in taking on roles as advocates for education and mentors. Some practical ways include:

• Create a welcoming and inclusive environment. Parents should feel welcome and valued in the classroom. Teachers can do this by inviting parents to visit the classroom, participate in class activities, and share their expertise and experiences with the students.

• Communicate regularly with parents. Teachers can keep parents informed about what their children are learning in class, their progress, and any areas where they may need additional support. This can be done through weekly short newsletters, email updates, or individual conferences.

• Provide opportunities for parents to volunteer in the classroom. Parents can volunteer to help with a variety of tasks, such as grading papers, preparing materials, or chaperoning field trips. Volunteering is a great way for parents to get involved in their child's education and to build relationships with the teacher and other students.

• Develop partnerships with parents. Educators and parents can work together to create a plan for supporting the child's learning at home and in school. This may involve setting specific goals, developing strategies for addressing challenges and communicating regularly about the child's progress. 

One approach is to use electronic media such as phones, emails, and social media to get parental engagement. Using smartphones as a communication medium, they might feel more confident interacting with the school and staying connected (Branzburg et al., 2001).  Communication is one way but families can do so much more, here are some ways families can become more involved in school:

• Invite parents to share their cultural heritage with the class. This could involve sharing stories, music, food, or other traditions from their culture.

• Have parents volunteer to help with class projects. For example, parents could help students build a model, research a topic, or create a presentation.

• Ask parents to complete surveys or questionnaires to provide feedback on the curriculum and instruction. This feedback can help educators to improve their teaching and to better meet the needs of all students.

• Create a parent-teacher association (PTA) or other parent-teacher organization. This can provide a forum for parents and teachers to communicate, collaborate, and support student learning.

How can you develop protective measures and avoid possible risks?

One of the main issues regarding communication can be a language barrier. If parents have trouble talking in English, they might feel unsure about talking to teachers. They may be reluctant to communicate with teachers. If the teacher doesn't know their language, a helper from the community could help at school, or someone from the school might change a letter or paper for parents into the language they know.

• Hire bilingual and multilingual staff. This includes teachers, administrators, counselors, and other support staff. Having bilingual and multilingual staff on staff will help to ensure that all students and families have access to communication and support in their primary language.

• Provide translation and interpretation services. This includes translating school documents and communications into multiple languages and providing interpreters for parent-teacher conferences, school events, and other meetings.

• Offer bilingual education programs. This gives students the opportunity to learn in their primary language while also acquiring English.

• Provide professional development for staff on how to work with English language learners (ELLs). This training should cover topics such as ELL pedagogy, language assessment, and classroom management strategies.

• Create a welcoming and inclusive school climate. This includes promoting cultural diversity and understanding and creating a safe and supportive environment for all students, regardless of their language background.

Conclusion

In conclusion, problems can be solved, and good results can be obtained by collaborating and understanding parents. Various goals can be achieved by appreciating their involvement and working with them. With the involvement and help of parents, we can find better solutions to the problems and make a better and brighter future.

References

Branzburg, J. (2001). Talking to parents online. Technology and Learning, 21(9), 54.

Houtenville, Andrew & Conway, Karen. (2008). Parental Effort, School Resources, and Student Achievement. Journal of Human Resources. 43. 437-453. 10.3368/jhr.43.2.437.

National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE). (2019). Helping English learners succeed: A toolkit for principals and other school leaders. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.

Olsen, L. (2018). Language barriers in K-12 schools: Challenges and solutions. In Handbook of language and education (pp. 193-209). Springer.

Thomas, W. P., & Collier, V. P. (1997). School effectiveness for language minority students. National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA).

U.S. Department of Education. (2022). English learners in U.S. public schools: 2018–19. Washington, DC: Author.