Title: Parental Involvement and Its Effect on Student Academic Achievement
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Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between parental involvement in education and student academic achievement. It reviews research studies on various types of parental involvement including involvement at home, at school, and communication between parents and teachers. The research suggests that students whose parents are more involved in their education have higher grade point averages, higher standardized test scores, better attendance, and fewer discipline problems. The paper concludes that parental involvement plays an important role in a child’s academic success and recommends ways that teachers, schools, and parents can work together to increase involvement.
Parental Involvement and Its Effect on Student Academic Achievement
Research shows that parental involvement in a child’s education has significant benefits and can take many different forms. Parental involvement has been linked to higher academic achievement, better attendance, improved behavior, and greater social skills (Fan & Chen, 2001; Jeynes, 2007; Sheldon & Epstein, 2007). The ways parents can be involved include involvement at home, involvement at school, and communicating with teachers and school staff. This literature review examines the research on these various types of parental involvement and their relationship to student outcomes.
Parental Involvement at Home
One of the main ways parents can be involved in their child’s education is by supervising and helping with homework at home. Studies have found that parents who monitor their child’s homework and help when needed foster academic skills and competencies (Hill & Tyson, 2009; Shah, 2009). Specifically, monitoring homework completion was found to relate to better grades over time (Cooper, Lindsay, Nye, & Greathouse, 1998). Parental involvement at home also includes discussing school activities, reading with children, providing educational materials and activities in the home, playing educational games, and more. Parents who engage in these kinds of educational activities at home positively impact student achievement (Hill & Chao, 2009; Jeynes, 2016; Spera, 2005). For example, Jeynes (2005) found that parental involvement activities like discussing school events, reading with children, and playing educational games improved math and reading test scores in urban middle and high school students.
Parental Involvement at School
In addition to involvement at home, parents can be involved in school by communicating with teachers, volunteering at the school or in the classroom, attending parent-teacher conferences, Open Houses, and more. A study by Sheldon and Epstein (2007) researched the effects of different types of parental involvement on math and reading standardized test scores in elementary-aged students. They found that the most effective type of involvement for improving test scores was parents communicating with the school and volunteering at the school. These findings were consistent across all demographics including parents of various income, education, race, and student grade levels.
Park and Holloway (2013) also examined different dimensions of parental involvement including involvement at home, communication with the school, and attendance and participation in school events. They found that certain types of school-based involvement had benefits over others. For example, communicating with teachers and attending school events positively impacted student GPA while volunteering in the classroom did not. They attribute this difference to the voluntary nature of volunteering versus more passive involvement activities. Regardless, their research suggests involvement at school is important but the type of involvement matters.
Parent-Teacher Communication
Communication between parents and teachers specifically plays a key role in student achievement according to the research. In addition to studies already mentioned (Sheldon & Epstein, 2007; Park & Holloway, 2013), Research findings show that frequent communication between parents and teachers leads to better student behavior, higher academic motivation, and improved scores on standardized tests (Barger et al., 2017; Reece et al, 2013). One study showed the quality of parent-teacher relationships significantly predicted academic achievement, even above socioeconomic status (Williams & Sánchez, 2013). Greater frequency of communication and stronger relationships predicted better grades. This research supports the importance of open communication between home and school.
Benefits for All Demographics
Benefits of parental involvement seem to span all subgroups including varying socioeconomic status, ethnicities, and grade/age levels. Jeynes (2005; 2012) conducted meta-analyses examining the effects of parental involvement on urban secondary school students and ethnic minority students. He found parental involvement was linked to improved grades and test scores across all demographics. In a review of 40 studies, parental involvement narrowed achievement gaps between minority and white students in reading and math (Jeynes, 2005). Similarly, Hill and Tyson (2009) concluded parental involvement is equally important for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Their comprehensive review found involvement positively impacts student grades and test scores regardless of family income or ethnicity.
Recommendations
The research clearly shows parental involvement has cumulative benefits for student learning outcomes. Based on these findings, there are steps schools, teachers, and parents can take to build successful partnerships and increase involvement. Schools should communicate clear involvement opportunities and provide training to help parents support learning at home (Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008). They can offer family nights focused on academic skills, translate materials for non-English speaking families, and provide transportation and childcare to remove barriers preventing involvement. Schools and teachers should make parents feel welcomed and valued through frequent communication, conferences, volunteering requests, and appreciation (Markow & Pietras, 2005). Lastly, parents play an active role in accessing information, attending events, monitoring homework, and communicating with teachers to stay informed about their child’s education. Together, these efforts from all stakeholders can maximize parental involvement to boost student achievement.
This literature review found parental involvement has cumulative benefits for student success regardless of demographics. Studies demonstrate improved grades, test scores, behavior, attendance and motivation when parents are actively involved at home through activities like homework help and educational games, involved at school through volunteering and interactions, and maintain open communication with teachers. The research supports an important role for parental involvement in student academic achievement. Continued initiatives to strengthen school-family partnerships can further support student learning outcomes.
Andrew Stroud