What is the most effective method for enforcing and improving parental participation in their children's education?
The most effective way to compel and enhance parental engagement in their children's education is to:
For many children, their parents and teachers have a large amount of detail. Parents play a critical role in educating their children before they enter pre-school or kindergarten, and parental figures continue to play an important role in their children's learning during their school years and long after they have graduated (Peters et al). As a result, parents and schoolteachers play critical roles. There is no common concept of parental involvement since it can take several forms such as; involvement at the school through helping the child with school work at home, or even reading to the child. The involvement of parents in the child's school life. The greatest percentage of parents, about 90 percent, who took part in a survey in 2007 responded that they felt that they were moderately involved in the school life of their parents, about half of them felt significantly involved, this is an increase from 2001 where only 29 percent felt involved, (Peters, et al).
Numerous research studies have shown that the early development of a child can be held back by inadequate parental involvement, (Flouri). One such study designed to examine the relationship between parental influence and academic performance among children concluded that the children were not put at a disadvantage by social class, but by a lack of parental interest. The study found that children whose parents were highly involved had better grades; this finding was irrespective of the children’s social background. The study also found that the children whose parents showed minimal interest began to decline in their academic performance.
A major barrier that has been identified as a key hindrance to parental involvement is the failure to communicate; families often have diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds (Caplan). These differences often result in conflicts between the communication styles used by the teachers and parents.
The establishment of a collaborative relationship between parents and teachers is an important step to encouraging greater parental involvement in student academics. This is crucial because academic performance is vital to student performance, especially at the lower stages of education.
In order to solve the problem of minimal parental involvement, the following initiatives will be implemented; interacting with the parents through conversations and polite greetings, if contact has not been made a few weeks after school has started; the teacher should attempt to contact the parent through a phone call or any other convenient means available.
The teachers will carry out home visits as an alternative way to meet parents and establish a relationship. This will be done in accordance with the school's policy.
In cases where a student’s family does not speak English, the teacher may invite an individual fluent in the family's language for assistance during a home visit, (Jordan). The plan will also involve organizing a parent or guardian conference as a method for communicating with parents. (Epstein, J. L., et al) (Jordan).
The project will require the participation of a teacher with a minimum qualification of a bachelor’s degree in education, a professional interpreter for interactions with families where English is not the primary language and the school’s administrator. The project is expected to have an initial cost of 4482.5 US Dollars. The other items, which require repeated expenditure, will require 46190 USD every year. The project is expected to increase parent- teacher collaboration, parent involvement and student academic performance. Through successful parent teacher collaboration, it is also expected that the teachers will be able to devise solutions to the challenges that keep parents from participating in their children’s education (Christenson).
Budget
Item
Cost (USD)
Unit
Cost per year (USD)
Professional interpreter
3682.5
Per month
44190
Parent teacher conference
500
Every three months
2000
Research
300
Total
Total
46190
4482.5
Work cited
Epstein, J. L., et al. (2009). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action, second edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Also see: www.partnershipschools.org
Peters, M., Seeds, K., Goldstein, A. And Coleman, N. (2008) Parental Involvement in Children’s Education 2007. Research Report. DCSF RR034
Flouri, E. (2006). Parental interest in children’s education, children’s self-esteem and locus of control, and later educational attainment: Twenty-six year follow-up of the 1970 British birth cohort. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 41-55
Caplan, J.G. (2000). Building strong family-school partnerships to support high student achievement. The Informed Educator Series. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service.
Jordan, L., Reyes-Blanes, M. E., Peel, B. B., Peel, H. A., & Lane, H. B. (1998). Developing teacher – parent partnerships across cultures: Effective parent conferences. Intervention in School and Clinic, 33(3), 141-147.
Christenson, S. L. (2004). The family-school partnership: An opportunity to promote the learning competence of all students. School Psychology Review, 33(1), 83-104
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