Kyle Nicholas Di Campli

EDU 561
6/21/14
Parental Involvement

Is it true that parent involvement with their childrens education goes down as their childrens
age goes up? Unfortunately, I believe that the answer is yes. Naturally, there are many parents
that stay involved in their childrens education from beginning to end; however, there seems to
be a trend of a lack parental involvement and support after elementary school. Few people
believe that parents stop caring about their childrens education, but why is there a decrease in
parent involvement from beginning in middle school and worsening during the high school
years? To increase parent involvement in our schools, the issue of why this decrease is
happening needs to be identified and addressed. Then, if we truly want to increase the level of
parental support, engagement and overall participation, schools need to be creative and find
ways to augment this decrease. In this research paper, I will identify the reasons for a lack of
parent involvement in schools and suggest solutions to obtain the support of the family that
teachers desire.
To improve parent involvement, there are many things a school needs to look at to effectively
change the separation between parents and schools. Schools need to start by understanding
the parents needs, they need to get better at communicating, make parents feel welcome,
provide practical support, develop roles for parents, and reach parents who are turned off from
schools. (Lucas, 2006) I believe that when we talk about the issue of a lack of parent
involvement in schools that the underlying problem relates directly to a lack of communication
and making parents feel welcome. In many cases, there might be a Lack of confidence among
parents. (Lucas, 2006) As a teacher, I frequently notice parents waiting outside the
door, lacking the confidence to come inside the classroom. I sense a lack of confidence often
when I talk to parents and they simply seem to listen, not imputing on their childs education,
needs or any concerns that they might have. Perhaps their own experiences of school were
not happy ones. Or perhaps they are currently suffering from low self-esteem because a
relationship has gone wrong. Maybe they simply find schools intimidating. (Lucas, 2006) Its
crucial that even prior to looking at communicating and welcoming parents, that we
understand the needs of the parents in the community. I believe that many parents are simply
intimidated by schools and teachers. It is easily notable that parents feel welcomed during
elementary school, but by middle school and high school, this changes and in turn, parent
involvement decreases. In too many schools, there is still a lingering sense that parents are an
unwelcome intrusion into an already stressful and overcrowded day. (Lucas, 2006) This is a
feeling that I believe a lot of parents have. I also believe that this tone, which is set by the
schools can be changed. In my opinion, there are some simple ways to raise parents
confidence with the school and the teachers. First, I think before the school year even starts
that students and parents should receive welcoming letters along with student schedules. I
know that many letters already reach the families, but I feel they are pretty general and
uninviting. I think that if when we send out beginning of the year information and schedules
that we should include some information about every teacher that the student will have in a
given semester. This information should include a little about each teacher, the teachers
picture, contact information and a welcome from each teacher. I think that if parents received
a packet such as this, that they would have more confidence from the start to interact with
teachers. In that packet, schools could have a survey of how parents prefer to be contacted
and provide phone numbers to teachers. Teachers often complain about the phone number in
the system not being in service or valid at all, so I think that this would be a good way to start
communication. I think that if the teachers would send home personally signed letters that are
welcoming and encourage the parents to call and participate that it would go a long way. One
particular idea that I would like to implement is a bi-weekly Cafesito. I believe that if parents
were invited by teachers to an in-classroom Conference where coffee and pastry were served
that the parents wouldnt feel the fear of those dreaded parent-teacher conferences.
Additionally, I feel that by inviting all the parents to cafesito, they would be more likely to show
up and talk about school and their children. I think that in such a forum the parents would have
more confidence to speak about any concerns they might have. I also feel that it would be
viewed as a very positive and collaborative meeting versus the parent-teacher conferences that
tend to have a negative tone to them. I strongly believe that the only time we communicate
with parents shouldnt be when something negative happens such as poor behavior or bad
grades. I think that communication would be much more effective is teachers stop assuming
that their parents are professors of education. Teachers become familiar with their own
professional vocabulary and stop noticing it. (Lucas, 2006) To many parents, our educational
jargon probably sounds like a foreign language. And that is not even mentioning that in todays
world, many parents struggle with English or might not speak it or understand it at all.
As educators, we need to accept that we are not living in the 1950s anymore. Todays world
isnt the same of what you see on the show, Leave it to Beaver. Not every child has their
mom and dad happily married at home. In many cases students dont even live with their
parents at all. Many students live with their grandparents, aunts and uncles. Sadly it is also
common to have homeless students in your classes. As teachers, we need to take into account
the Complex families (Lucas 2006) Does the child live with one parent? Does the student
spend time in different homes each week? Do the parent(s) work in the evening or at night?
Do the parents understand English? Does the students travel more than 40 minutes to get to
school each day? Are they going through difficult family times? Taking these questions into
account gives educators a better understanding for lack of involvement and alludes to possible
ways of helping participation and communication when family lives are complex. If a parent
works as a nurse and is often on night shifts, then it may be very difficult for him or her ever to
come to a typical parents evening. Family circumstances are likely to affect availability,
communication, supervision and confidence. (Lucas, 2006) I believe part of improving
communication and involvement is teachers having a flexible mindset. Sometimes parents just
cant make it into school. That is why calling parents and talking to them over the phone is so
important. However, many teachers never call parents. Why are some teachers reluctant to
use the telephone? Maybe it is because they are just so busy with teaching, grading and
planning that they dont have extra time. Yet telephone calls are the next best things to being
there. They are a really good way of maintaining communication with parents. And in this age
of voicemail and texting, its easier than ever to reach parents by phone. (Lucas 2006) To me it
seems that any phone call that is made is because of something negative; a bad grade or poor
behavior. I think teachers should make a point of calling parents and telling them about the
good as well. I think that doing this will change the mindset of the parent that Mr. Smith only
calls when my son is doing bad.
Another issue that I find to be very important is the front desk. The person who looks after
the front desk is, in many ways, the most important person in the whole school when it comes
to communicating with parents. It may be a receptionist, a secretary, a volunteer or a teacher.
(Lucas, 2006) If a parent comes to school on an important matter, and the first thing they see is
what appears to be the reception area, and there is a pane of glass between you and the
receptionist who is surrounded my stacks of paper and is talking on her phone, there is a
negative vibe given off that is not very welcoming at all. I believe the person who works the
front desk is extremely undervalued because he or she is the one who sees and talks to the
parents first, and on a daily basis. There are some people who simply are just not warm,
friendly people. Other individuals are very friendly with people, warm and inviting and give you
a good, welcoming feeling when entering the school. I believe it is crucial that every school has
a friendly, warm, and inviting employee working the front desk. As the principal, I would have
it no other way. Along with the front desk, I believe that the overall appearance of the school
has a great impact of how parents view where their children are receiving their education. A
well groomed school goes a long way in my opinion. Not only does it give off a good feeling of
being on campus to the students, but it also provides that same feeling to the parents who we
are trying to get on campus. Take the University of Arizona for example. It is well groomed,
clean, and it is without question a very beautiful campus. I myself love being on the campus
and I take a lot of pride in being a Wildcat. That is exactly what we want from our students as
well. If the students want to be there, want to attend games and other extra-curricular
activities than it is much more likely that we get the parents to school, which is what we as
educators want. A clean, well-groomed campus gives a sense of pride to both students and
parents and I find it essential for improving school culture which directly relates to parent
involvement.
Nowadays, technology is everywhere! That being the case it should most definitely be used in
schools as well. Naturally, technology is and should be used in the classroom; however, the use
of technology can and should be used for the parents. Many districts nowadays have websites
that are very inviting and allow parents to email their childs teacher directly, book
appointments online and shop for school uniforms in a virtual environment. (Lucas, 2006)
Many schools have been working on new ways to report to parents, ranging from the high-tech
solutions involving web access to school data and text messaging to low-tech solutions such as
sending home postcards or making phone calls to report good work or outstanding progress.
(Harris, Andrew-Power, Goodall, 2009) I have first-hand knowledge of a districts website that
allows parents to involve themselves in their childrens education from home. Tucson Unified
School District has a website that allows parents the ability to do so much. Parents can easily
view grades, assignments, missing work, attendance and if their child has missed any classes.
Parents can also email or find teachers contact information on the website. Furthermore, now
that a large amount of our student and parent population have Smartphones, districts are
creating applications for students and parents that are free to download, can be accessed from
anywhere, anytime, with the touch of the button. These applications give both students and
teachers alerts. If districts want parent involvement, they need to facilitate any and all
information to parents. The use of these applications can be extremely useful provided that it
is used correctly, that the parents are shown and know how to use them, that schools and
teachers keep them updated with news, grades, and attendance, and most importantly, that
they are in fact being utilized by both students and parents.
Reports that home to parents are very important. They could give a lot of insight to parents
about their students progress, their needs, their strengths and more positive comments.
However, in my experience the only reports that I have seen go home to parents have been
quite vague. Reports about assessment in schools are consistently critical. Marking is
frequently inconsistent, and reports to parents often fail to describe the strengths and
weaknesses of pupils and retreat bland could do better statements. (Lucas, 2006) Getting a
report home should be about getting feedback to students and parents that can be used by
them to improve the way they learn. Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and
interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in
their learning, where thy need to go and how best to get there. (Lucas, 2006)
It is essential to make parents feel welcome if we want their involvement in our schools. Small
things such as signs that read, All visitors must report to the school office, do not give of a
welcoming feeling that we want our parents to have. However, if we had signs that read,
Welcome to Sunnyside High School, Please come straight to the office and introduce yourself,
I think that gives off a more, positive, welcoming vibe that our parents need.
It seems that the question is always how do we get the parents involved? Quite frankly, most
schools are not doing enough. There are four different types of involvement that we should
encourage. First, we should encourage family learning. Schools could provide a home
environment that helps children to develop and find out how to help their child become an
effective learner. Second, parents also have to their part at home with effective parenting;
ensuring that children have enough sleep and nutritious food. Additionally, they need to create
an emotional context in which children can become self-confident. Thirdly, parents should
support the school staff by engaging with teachers by attending meetings and reinforcing
messages. Parents can also support the school staff by reinforcing school rules on uniform and
attending school events. I am a strong believer of the connection between parents and
students attending school events with a better school culture. Lastly, we should encourage
parents to volunteer at their childrens school with a complete understanding that parents are
busy. I believe that contributing to the life of the school in some way, for example by being an
extra adult on a school outing goes a long way. Every year when we hand out the syllabus, the
guidelines and expectations, the students sign and agree to fulfill the expectations of the
teachers. Is it out of this world to think that parents should have to agree to assist in their
childs success? What if we had the parents agree to statement including a list of things to do
such as: Ensure my child attends school properly; see that my child arrives at school on time;
make sure I/We notify the school of any absence; support schools guidelines on behavior
support my child with homework; create opportunities for learning at home; ensure my child
goes to bed at a reasonable time on weekdays; attend parent meetings; reply to letters from
school; and talk to the school if I am worried about my child. Is that too much to ask? I think
giving roles to parents in crucial if we want parental involvement in our schools.
Lastly, I would like to address the role of the administrator when it comes to parent
involvement. It is essential that principals and other administrators who want parent
engagement think through how accessible their institution is to outsiders, and especially to
minority parents, who might behave in different ways than expected. An administrator who is
successful at working with parents will find ways to bend to their needs without disrupting the
school plan, and will encourage their teachers to be flexible in their dealings with parents.
(Ferlazzo & Hammond, 2009) In many schools, language is a big deterrent to parent
engagement. An easy to fix this issue is having translators available during after school
meetings where parents are asked to attend. District beliefs and operational principals must
not only set policy for the schools in the district but must also set an example. Policy needs to
center around offering sound educational programs and services to students in collaboration
and consultation with parents. (Boult, 2006)
To summarize I think it is clear that there are copious ways to increase parent involvement in
schools. Without a doubt, schools can and should do much more to augment low participation
from the families. I truly believe that parents want to be involved their childrens schooling and
I think that there is no doubt that there is a correlation between parent involvement and better
grades. My belief is parental engagement improves school culture and that it is very beneficial
to the school, the parents and the students. I think that schools and teachers are not doing
nearly enough to engage the families. There are so many proven ways to increase parent
involvement but schools and its teachers simply need to start doing much more to reach out to
the families and get them involved for the ultimate school experience for everyone.

Bill Lucas, (2006), Involving Parents in Schools. London: Network Continuum Education

Betty Boult, (2006), 176 Ways to Involve Parents. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Feriazzo, L., & Hammond, L. (2009), Building Parent Engagement in Schools. Santa Barbara,
CA: Linworth Publishing

Harris, A., Andrew-Power, K., & Goodall, J. (2009), Do Parents Know They Matter? New
York, NY: Continuum International Publishing Group