Family involvement in a child's education takes many forms and can positively impact student achievement and school performance. It includes activities families do at home to support learning as well as volunteering at the school. Research shows increased student grades, attendance, and social skills when parents are involved. Both schools and parents must work to maintain involvement as children progress through their academic careers. The benefits of parent involvement include extra support in the classroom, improved communication between home and school, and showing children that education is a priority.

1. FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
PRESED 16 HOME-SCHOOL RELATIONSHIP

2. What is Family Involvement?
• Family involvement means that families work together with caregivers
and teachers to create an atmosphere that strengthens learning both
at the program and in the home. It includes the many ways that
family members can influence children's education.
• Family involvement includes a lot of different types of activities. Some
parents or families have time to get involved in many ways, others
may only have time for one or two activities. Whatever your level of
involvement, remember: if you get involved and stay involved, you
can make a world of difference.

3. Possible Roles of Parental Involvement
• You can be a customer because early childhood education is a service
for families.
• You can be a supporter of the program by giving materials (snacks,
classroom supplies) to the program.
• You can be a volunteer. You can work at your child's program and help
teachers in the classroom or at snack time or lunch.
• You can be an advocate for the program by talking to school board
members and local politicians about the benefits of the program and
the need for continued funding.

4. Possible Roles of Parental Involvement
• You can be on the parent-teacher association (PTA) or on a parent
advisory board that helps plan the program, hire staff, and raise
money.
• You can be a learner. Research shows that parents' child-rearing
practices and beliefs are related to the child's performance in school.
• You are the best resource for information about your child. Each child
is special and you can help the program adapt to your child's
individual differences.

5. Principles of Parent Involvement
◊ Linked to Learning
Families have tools and knowledge to support students' academic and
developmental goals
◊ Relational
Strive to create connection between students' home and the classroom
(i.e. home visits).

6. Principles of Parental Involvement
◊ Collaborative
Encouraging collective learning environments where parents can
connect and share knowledge.
◊ Interactive
Parents and teachers have multiple ways to communicate and establish
channels for two-way communication.

7. Principles of Parental Involvement
◊ Systemic
The practices are present across the school.
◊ Integrated
The practices are incorporated into different aspects of the school.
◊ Sustained
The school have resources and tools to support ongoing engagement.

8. Importance of Parent Involvement
წ Much research exists about the importance of parent involvement in
education. The research overwhelmingly indicates that parent
involvement not only positively affects student achievement, it
contributes to higher quality education and better performance of
schools overall. Yet both schools and parents struggle with how to
make that involvement happen. The U.S Department of Education
reports that the the rate of parent involvement drops to 55 percent
by the time children reach age 14, and it continues to drop as children
progress through high school.

9. Pro's to Parent Involvement
წ Every parent has their own way of doing things and for the
most part teachers would agree that parent involvement in the
form of volunteering and supporting the children is welcomed
and needed. Here are some benefits of having parent helpers:
♡ Teachers are always short handed and an extra pair of hands
in the classroom is ussualy needed.
♡ Parents that volunteer and come into the classroom to help the
children can take small groups of children to focus on a specific
are of need.

10. Pro's to Parent Involvement
♡ With parent helpers in the school it gives them a chance to see
teacher teaching styles and also gives them opportunities to
see other ways of dealing with problems that may have more
success than what they are doing at home.
♡ Another benefit to having parent involvement is that is shows kids
that they are important enough to their parent or guardian to take
time out of their day to come in and help.
♡ Parent involvement also gives other parents a chance to get to know
one another and establish relationships with other people in the
community.

11. Con's to Parent Involvement
წ Of course there is always a flip side to something good.
Unfortunately, when some parents come into the schools to work or
volunteer their time thry provide more of a distraction and nuisance
than anything else. Here are some cons to have too much or not the
right kind of parent involvement:
♡ Some parents simply come into the school so that they can get the
“low down” on other students or students parents.
♡ Some parents that volunteer their time don't actually get anything
they've been asked to do because they are too busy talking with other
parents or faculty members.
♡ A teacher can lose valuable time redirecting the parent to something
else.

12. Research on Parental Involvement in Education
“When schools, families, and community groups work together to
support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school
longer, and like school more.” That's the conclusion of A New Wave of
Evidence, a report from Southwest Educational Development
Laboratory (2002).
The report, a synthesis of research on parent involvement over the
past decade, also found that, regardless of family income or
background, students with involved parents are more likely to:

13. Research on Parental Involvement in Education
⃰ earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level
programs
⃰ be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits
⃰ attend school regularly
⃰ have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to
school
⃰ graduate and go on to postsecondary education

14. Outcomes of Parent Involvement
‫ﮦ‬Parent involvement fosters better student classroom behavior (Fan
and Chen, 2001; NMSA, 2003).
‫ﮦ‬Parents who participate in decision making exprience greater feelings
of ownership and are more committed to supporting the school's
mission (Jackson & Davis, 2000).
‫ﮦ‬Parent involvement improves school attendance (Epstein et al., 2002).
‫ﮦ‬Parent involvement increases support of schools (NMSA, 2003).

15. Outcomes of Parent Involvement
‫ﮦ‬Parent involvement creates a better understanding of roles and
relationships between and among the parent-student-school triad
(Epstein et al., 2002).
‫ﮦ‬Parent involvement improves student emotional well-being (Epstein,
2005).
‫ﮦ‬Types of parent involvement and quality of parent involvement affect
results for students, parents, and teachers (Epstein,1995).