Increasing Family Involvement in Education

" The American Family is the rock on which a solid education can be built. I have seen examples all over this nation where two-parent families, step-parents, single parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are providing strong family support for their children to learn. If families teach the love of learning, it can make all the difference in the world to their children."

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley

When parents and families get personally involved in education, their children do better in school and grow up to be more successful in life. Yet, parental involvement is one of the most overlooked aspects of American education today. Schools aren't always welcoming. Employers often don't recognize the importance of being "family friendly". The fact is, many parents don't realize how important it is to get involved in their children's learning. Thirty years of research show that when children can count on their family and community, in addition to their teachers, for involvement in education, it makes a significant difference in their learning.

Some facts:

• More than 9 out of 10 students who mostly get A's and B's said they are encouraged by their parents to do well in school.
• Among students aged 10 to 13, 72 percent say they would like to talk to their parents more about their homework.
• Forty percent of parents across the country believe that they are not devoting enough time to their children's education.
• Teachers say that parents involvement in education needs to be the number one priority for the next few years.
• Three factors over which parents exercise authority - student absenteeism, variety of reading materials in the home, and excessive TV watching - explained nearly 90 percent of the difference in 8th grade math test scores across low performing and high performing states on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
• Half of students get mostly A's and enjoy school according to their parents when their fathers are highly involved in their schools compared to about one-third of students when their fathers have low-levels of involvement
• Students are half as likely (7 percent to 15 percent) to have ever repeated a grade and are significantly less likely to have ever been suspended or expelled (10 percent to 18 percent) if their fathers have high as opposed to low involvement in their schools.

Some good examples:

• Security Dads at Arlington High School in Indianapolis, Indiana provide a visible male parental presence at school-sponsored sporting events, dances, skating parties, and other student-based activities. The Security Dads ensure proper behavior, evict troublemakers when necessary, and generally keep the peace. Fathers were recruited through a variety of means, including requests made at parent meetings, student referrals, and home visits. As a result of this effort, paternal involvement in school and children's activities has increased and students behavior at events has improved.
  CONTACT: Linda Wallace, (317) 226-3848

• The Albany/Dougherty Community Partnership for Education is a group committed to improving the community's awareness of opportunities and improvements within all the schools in Dougherty County. On October 8th, 1998 the Superintendent of Schools will host the Dougherty County 1998 Back To School Tour in which parents, community members and business leaders, especially the local Board of Realtors will be invited into the school to see for themselves the great strides the school district has made. Parents are made cognizant of special need programs to see what types of resources are available for their children. The students themselves will participate in the tour by having the opportunity to show off their school and greet the visitors. This program generates awareness and excitement for the schools and what they have to offer. Also, it builds bridges for parents to be able to become involved in their child's education. Local businesses have an opportunity to see first hand the progress of the schools and know they have something to be proud of.
  CONTACT: Jo S. Granberry, Executive Director, P.O. Box 1726 Albany, Georgia 31702-1726, (912) 888-0999, Fax (912) 888-2664

• The First Day Foundation, a non-profit organization headquartered in Bennington, Vermont, is committed to improving student learning through encouraging and supporting increased parental involvement in education, schools, and individual children's learning. This is done through a community-wide partnership in which employers and schools allow parents to attend the first day of school with their children by declaring the First Day of School a "Holiday". Employers give parents a few hours off on their child's first day of school to meet their teachers, preview the coming year's curricula, form Parent-Teacher-Student Partnerships for Learning, and help students transition into a new year. As the founder of the movement notes, "If we take off the first day of deer season, shouldn't we show the same commitment to our children?"
  CONTACT: Terry Ehrich, President First Day Foundation, 210 Main Street, P.O. Box 10, Bennington, Vermont 05201, (802) 447-9625, Fax: (802) 447-9670, e-mail: firstday@sover.net, Internet: www.firstday.org

• Since 1995, Tampa Hand in Hand Coalition has initiated educational involvement activities designed to foster greater support from parents through a coalition of community support to plan and implement its activities. Each year a committee offers mini-grants to schools that propose innovative ideas for involving parents. Typical projects enhance family-school-community partnerships in fun, hands-on, and creative ways. Students are encouraged to plan activities as well. Hand in Hand has started parent resource centers in schools and publishes a community guide for Tampa parents that includes a listing of available community services related to parenting, children, families, and schools. Hand in Hand has also sponsored community forums on local TV stations, sent the "It's A Family Affair" Parent Resource Bus around neighborhoods offering an array of resources, workshops as well as access to professionals and computers. Finally, the Hand in Hand Coalition sums up its work each year with its participation in "Take Our Parents To School Week", a nation-wide celebration of involvement in education.
  CONTACT: Judith G. Dato, Chair, Hand in Hand and Supervisor, Parent Involvement for Title 1, Hillsborough County Schools, 901 East Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602
  Phone: (813) 272-4487, Fax: (813) 272-4434