Parental Involvement In Education

Although many studies have found a link between parental involvement and student achievement, most of these studies have been conducted at the elementary level. Many parents who are actively involved in the education of their children at the elementary school level become less involved when their children reach middle school. This could be because the middle school building is larger, farther from home, and the fact that the parents will now need to interact with many different teachers, as opposed to the single teacher in elementary school. These factors, combined with the child’s new adolescent attitude, can be intimidating to parents. However, parental involvement in a child's education during the middle school years is just as important in a child's success at school as it is in earlier grades. This report suggests a proactive approach from parents when dealing with the middle school situation. According to findings from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, higher school participation among parents with children in preschool and kindergarten and greater participation in activities resulted in higher reading achievement, lower rates of grade retention, and fewer years in special education among children until age of fourteen. The key to these findings is that the study shows that the effects of parental involvement diminish as children grow older. Early and continuous parental involvement is essential. the participation of parents at the higher school levels still has an effect on achievement, but that different forms of involvement are necessary: making postsecondary plans, course scheduling, behavior contracts, and monitoring homework, in addition to the previous associations that they were involved with at the elementary level.