Introduction
Parent’s active involvement in the educational process of their child is priceless. Together, parents and teachers can share knowledge and resources that will make certain the individual needs of the student are being met within the best learning environment. Collaborative efforts from parents, educators and the school ensure a positive and rewarding experience for the student. Parents should in no way feel that they are being left out of the educational decisions; therefore, educators have an obligation that encourages parental participation. Furthermore, promoting a collaborated working relationship between school and parents has shown to reduce the achievement gap, especially among diverse learners. Parental participation has shown to be positively related to student’s educational performance (McWayne, Hampton, Fantuzzo, Cohen, & Sekino, 2004) and according to Eamon (2002), may mediate the effects of poverty, parents’ educational attainment, and race/ethnicity on achievement.
As educators begin to understand the various culturally diverse backgrounds that make up the public school system within the United States, they are gaining knowledge on individual perceptions and effective ways to develop relationships while meeting the diverse needs of each student and their families. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the importance of including parents, families, and caregivers of culturally diverse backgrounds in the educational process of their child. I will include successful practices myself and administrators have implemented to promote the parent and school partnership, and discuss some reasons why I believe some parents still do not feel comfortable participating in the school environment. Also, ...
... middle of paper ...
...n, M. K. (2002). Effects of poverty on mathematics and reading achievement of young adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 22, 49–74.
Hoover-Dempsey, K., Walker, J., Sandler, H., Whetsel, D., Green, C., Wilkins, A., & Closson, K. (2005). Why do parents become involved? Research findings and implications. The Elementary School Journal, 106(2), 105–130.
Manning, L. & Baruth. L. (2009). Multicultural education of children and adolescents (5th Ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
McWayne, C., Hampton, V., Fantuzzo, J., Cohen, H. L., & Sekino, Y. (2004). A multi-variate examination of parent involvement and the social and academic competencies of urban kindergarten children. Psychology in the Schools, 41, 363–377.
Wright, K., Stegelin, D.A., & Hartle, L. (2007). Building family, school, and community partnerships (3rd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Over the past several weeks, I have researched, read, and learned many new things regarding the topic of multicultural education. I have learned that all children should be taught to treat others with dignity and respect not matter what their culture, race, or family structure. I have also learned how important it is for teachers to explore multicultural education on a daily bases because it is necessary for the academic success for students how originate from different backgrounds.
Effective partnerships between families and school emerge from a mutual trust, respect and understanding of each other’s values and goals. By maintaining such partnerships, we create a healthy environment for children to develop. All families have something unique to offer and educators need to recognize this and make the most of it by incorporating all families into the school community.
Among those cultures, African-Americans were among the cultures that demonstrated to have high and low parental involvement in their children’s educational performance. African American parents tend to be more critical of their children’s school agenda because they do not want their child to fail in certain curriculums. Lee and Bowen (2006) discovered that although African American parents do tend to care about their children’s education, but are less engaged in their academic experiences. For example, like attending school events, social events or one on one meeting with teachers. The lack of communication between parents and teachers was also an important factor that related to the lack of parental involvement among African Americans, as well as Hispanic parents, in their children’s academic experiences. The lack of communication between a parent and teacher can negatively affect a student’s academic achievement (e.g. activities, checking homework, encouraging reading). It can affect the child’s academic achievement because the lack of parent involvement displays the unimportance of education a parent has, meaning that a child might not have any desire to continue their education since their parents do apply importance to it. Another factor that affects African American parents involvement are demographic characteristics. For instance, African American children that were high achievers were
Many parents have multiple children, while working a nine to five job, attending family activities and meetings, and staying on top of bills and home duties. Family life can get hectic and parents may not take the time to realize their importance in their child’s academics. Some parents may be too busy, and others may simply not care, but their involvement in their children’s life is essential. Whether parents or children realize it, involvement of parents in children’s lives positively affects their children’s academic success at all grade levels, including elementary, high school, and even college.
Educators today, recognize positive influence of parental involvement fosters higher student academic achievement levels (Danielson, 2006; Jacobs & Kritsonis, 2007). One crucial element of parental involvement is effective communication between parents and teachers. Research show parents prefer to establish informal relationships with frequent open and non-judgmental exchanges with their children's teachers (Eberly, Joshi, & Konzal, 2005). Accordingly, this article is to explore key research-based recommendations for school administrators and teacher leaders to identify and overcome communication barriers with parents.
... Children's Academic and Social Development in Elementary School. US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, 988-1005.
Parent involvement is a major topic of concern among policy makers, educators, and researchers (Brooks-Gunn, Duncan, & Maritato, 1997; Rouse & Barrow, 2006; Young, Austin, & Growe, 2013) for more than 20 years. School districts, educational leaders, and researchers all agree with the premise that strong school-family partnerships improve children’s learning and outcomes. Parents and schools, separately or together, represent noteworthy influences on the essential sources of support for children’s learning and development. Children develop within multiple contexts, and development and learning are optimal when effective networks and permanencies among these systems are created. Semke and Sheridan (2012) affirm methods
Manning, L. & Baruth. L. (2009). Multicultural education of children and adolescents (5th Ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Parental involvement promotes the social growth of a child. Children whose parents are involved in their education have many advantages. They have better grades, test scores, long-term academic achievement, attitudes and behavior than those with disinterested mothers and fathers (Gestwicki, 2001). Parents becoming involved in their child's schooling creates extra sources of social constraint to influence the child's behavior (McNeal, 2001). For example, parents talking to their children and becoming involved in the school conveys a message to the child of education being important. Parents should be talking with your children's teacher and letting her know about your family. The more she knows about your child, the better she will be able to connect with your child.
When it comes to parental involvement, most people agree with the “why”; it’s the “how” that poses the challenge. The vast majority of parents want to be involved, but face significant barriers in doing so. The vast majority of schools welcome parent involvement, but with short parent meetings (for which both sides struggle to find time), it’s hard to know exactly what to do.
Bauch, P. A., Vietze, P., & Morris, V. (1973). What makes the difference in parental participation? Childhood Education, 50, 47-53.
The support of a parent is the single most important factor in predicting success in school for young children (Bourquin). Parents who make it a point to get involved with the child’s education are communicating the importance of education to their child (Heffer). There are a variety of ways in which a parent can get involved. This can range from at home help and encouragement with homework, attending athletic ...
Research shows that children do better in school when parents talk often with teachers and become involved. Kids whose parents interact with teachers usually get higher grades and test scores, develop positive attitudes about school, and are better behaved. Parents and teachers need to communicate on a regular basis, not just at parent/teacher conferences. But sometimes, a parent doesn’t know just how to go about getting involved or how to make that positive connection with the teacher and/or school.
To conclude, my research shows a clear link between parental involvement and children performing better in school. Children who's parents are involved in their education are showing better performance and are achieving higher grades. They also show better behaviour, more enthusiasm, ambition and higher levels of engagement. compared with children who's parent are not involved in their education. My research also shows that parental involvement has great benefits for both children and parents in many ways, so much so that the most effective schools are those who encouraged parents to be involved.
Parent involvement is one of the most influential aspects of student motivation. The parents are the initial teachers of the child before the child goes to school and encounters education through a teacher. If a parent is completely engaged in the learning process with a child, there can be growth between the child and the parent simultaneously. The parents set an example for the child, so that the child understands that help is in the classroom and at home. Alma Wright, a first and second grade teacher, believes that parents in the classroom are a good way to stimulate children. She says, “Their active participation is a positive influence. The school is open for parents to share their talents and motivate their children” (Drew, Olds, and Olds, 1974, p. 71).