Strengthening Parents’ Ability to Provide the Guidance and Support That Matter Most in High School MS Word PDF - The higher the expectations of parents, the steadier their guidance and support, and the greater their sense of partnership with teachers and other staff, the better their child’s chances of academic success. This ECS Policy Brief reviews: (1) Research on the types of parental involvement that positively impact high school students; (2) State and local policies and practices that reflect and reinforce a commitment to parental involvement; and (3) The parental involvement component of No Child Left Behind. (Tim Taylor and Jennifer Dounay, Education Commission of the States, August 2008)...

Parent Involvement: What most impacts student success? - Access related research titles from the ECS Research Studies Database. Links embedded in titles will take you to each study's major findings and recommendations....

2011 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher - Conducted annually, this survey examines the views of teachers, parents and students about the teaching profession, parent and community engagement, and effects of the economy on teaching and learning in schools. Notable findings include parent and community engagement with schools has increased, and there are constructive practices to be shared. The survey raises concerns, however, especially around teacher satisfaction. (Metlife, Inc. March 2012)...

Parent/Teacher Home Visits Creating a Bridge between Parents and Teachers as Co-Educators in Springfield, MA and Seattle, WA - This Issues Brief from NEA Foundation presents a model for parent-teacher home visits based on the experiences of Seattle, Washington and Springfield, Massachusetts, two of the Foundation’s Closing the Achievement Gaps Initiative sites. (The NEA Foundation, March 2012)...

Addressing Achievement Gaps: The Family: America's Smallest School - This article provides highlights from a 2010 ETS symposium addressing the role of family in education. The article discusses the elements of home life that influence education and posits programs that are necessary to strengthen struggling families and build connections between the home and school. (ETS Policy Information Center Educational Testing Service, 2011)...

Work-Family Conflict: Look to Employers and Communities for Solutions - Most American parents are under severe time pressure because they need to work while simultaneously caring for their children and, increasingly, for elderly family members as well. The best hope for struggling working parents lies in voluntary provision of workplace flexibility by employers and more support from community institutions. (The Future of Children/Princeton University, Fall 2011)...

Parent Participation in School-Related Activities by Selected School, Student, and Family Characteristics: 2007 - Table 252 of the U.S. Census Bureau's Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012. Scroll down the page to Table 252. (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2011)...

Fixing Failing Schools: Building Family and Community Demand for Dramatic Change - This report addresses specific barriers leaders need to tackle when taking action in persistently failing schools, and presents effective strategies for overcoming barriers and building demand for change. (Public Impact, May 2011)...

Teaching the Teachers: Preparing Educators to Engage Families for Student Achievement - This brief describes five core elements necessary for a system of teacher training and professional development in support of family engagement. The core elements discussed are: (1) Standards for family engagement; (2) curriculum that advances the skills, knowledge and attitudes that teachers need to engage families; (3) collaborations among various stakeholders; (4) continuing professional development around family engagement; and (5) evaluation for learning and continuous improvement. (National PTA and Harvard Family Research Project, May 2011) ...

The Family: America's Smallest School - This is the 14th in a series from ETS's "Addressing Achievement Gaps". Today many families are struggling and their struggles contribute to the stubborn achievement gap separating low-income and minority students from their more affluent peers. Education policymakers have focussed on what happens inside the classroom but the impact of family means that school reform alone cannot eliminate the achievement gap. The challenge of helping families prepare their children for academic success was the subject of the 14th symposia. (ETS, February 2011)...

Engaged Families, Effective Pre-K: State Policies that Bolster Student Success - Family members are a child’s first and most important teachers. This Pre-K Now report identifies policies that can enhance family engagement in state pre-k and highlights examples from states that are leading the way. (Deborah Roderick Stark, Pew Center on the States, June 2010)...

Parents’ Reports of the School Readiness of Young Children from the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2007: First Look - Data on the school readiness of U.S. children as reported by their parents are presented, along with basic demographic information about the children—their parent/guardians and household characteristics. For example, about 58% of children ages 3 to 6 and not yet in kindergarten are in preschools or daycare centers, 7% of parents planned to delay entry into kindergarten (9% of boys versus 4% of girls), 55% of children were read to every day and children who watched television averaged 2.6 hours on a typical weekday. (Kevin O'Donnell and Gail Mulligan, U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, August 2008)...

Are Parents and Students Ready for More Math and Science? - Many business, education and government leaders have recently been advocating for major education reform, particularly as it pertains to improving mathematics and science achievement in the nation's schools. This report examines results from a recent survey of the attitudes of parents and students in public schools, with accompanying charts examining results in the following areas: (1) just how much harder should high school be, (2) are the problems social or academic, (3) many parents are complacent about science and math education, (4) many students are lukewarm to math and science, (5) are high school girls less interested and (6) minority students see math and science as essential. (Jean Johnson, Ana Maria Arumi, Amber Ott and Michael Hamill, Public Agenda, January 2006)...

Parents' Reports of School Practices to Provide Information to Families: 1996 and 2003 - Studies suggest that parent involvement is related to factors such as children’s grades in school, test scores and grade retention. Given the importance of parent involvement, researchers, policymakers and practitioners have sought ways to promote it. In this report, data from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program were used to replicate previous analyses using the Parent and Family Involvement in Education and Civic Involvement Survey of the 1996 National Household Education Surveys Program. As with the previous report, parent-reported school information practices are discussed first and then examined in relation to the frequency of parent involvement at the school. Results in both survey years show that the average number of parent-reported school information practices done “very well” differed by school, family, and student characteristics. (Nancy Vaden-Kiernan, National Center for Education Statistics, December 2005)...

Easing the Transition from PreK to Kindergarten: What Schools Can Do to Address Child Readiness - This paper examines how schools can successfully involve parents in preparing pre-kindergarten students for the transition to kindergarten, it includes a school snapshot in addition to sections on what to consider, putting it into practice and related research. (Chris Ferguson and Lacy Wood, Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, October 2005)...

Reaching Out to Diverse Populations: What Can Schools Do to Foster Family-School Connections? - Parents are interested in their children's academic success regardless of ethnicity, culture or economic status, although they may not know how to help their children, feel incapable of assisting them or have a perspective on family involvement that differs from the school. This paper examines how schools can successfully overcome challenges that may inhibit parental involvement, it includes a school snapshot in addition to sections on what to consider, putting it into practice and related research. (Chris Ferguson, Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, September 2005)...

Taking a Closer Look: A Guide to Online Resources on Family Involvement - There is more information on family involvement online than any one person can keep track of now, and the body of information is constantly growing. Intended to make accessing and using this large body of information easier, this resource guide contains annotated Web links to research, information and tools about family involvement published in or after 2000. In addition to an appendix, the guide is separated into seven sections: (1) knowledge development, (2) professional development, (3) standards, (4) programs, (5) tools, (6) convening and (7) special initiatives. Owing to the constant flow of new quality resources, this guide will be periodically updated. (Heather B. Weiss, Kelly Faughnan, Margaret Caspe, Cassandra Wolos, M. Elena Lopez and Holly Kreider, Harvard Family Research Project, September 2005)...

Changing the Nature of Parent Involvement MS Word PDF - Parental involvement in a child’s education takes many forms, and states have a variety of policies to encourage it. This "Stateline" article discusses the prevalence of parental involvement polices in the states, examining Maryland’s parent advisory council in particular, and summarizes other state activity. (Kathy Christie, Phi Delta Kappan, May 2005. Reprinted with permission)...

Parent and Family Involvement in Education: 2002-03 - This report examines parent and family involvement in education, presenting data from a survey of over 12,000 parents of children in kindergarten through 12th grade in the United States. Tables disaggregate data by a number of indicators, including school type, school schedule, household poverty status, parents' language, students' grade level, students' race/ethnicity and sex. (Nancy Vaden-Kiernan and Chris Chapman, National Center for Education Statistics, May 2005)...