Parental Involvement: The Key To Education

Mikayla Kwan, Elin Pinkett, Patrick Steeves, Bradley Hamilton

What is Parental Involvement?
Parents role in childs educational experience to work alongside of school learning.
School-based: volunteering, parent-teacher communication.
Home-based: homework assistance.
Academic socialization: encouragement, express importance of education
Effectiveness of types of involvement vary across age groups
Government Participation
School Act: parents have a right and responsibility to make decisions respecting the
education of their children.
Guide To Education: encourages cooperation and involvement with parents.
School Councils: majority of members must be parents.
Resources: My Childs Learning (Interactive resource with brief explanations of
objectives in subjects), Tips for Parents, PAT and Diploma Prep Guides, Engaging
Parents, Resources for working with Gifted Children and Special Needs Students.
Students Perception of Parental Involvement
Active parent involvement often improves students self-confidence, perseverance,
motivation and general well-being. It also demonstrates the students importance to
their parents and how their parents view their education.
Students, especially adolescents, prefer parents academic support (encouragement,
homework, supporting choices and difficulties) over academic monitoring (evaluative,
control, supervising). Willing to ask for help with homework and advice on options.
Students want control over the amount and extent of parents involvement and
interventions and are hesitant to invite parents to interact at school or with peers.
Transformation of Parental Involvement
Growth in Direct and Indirect Parental Involvement
o Difference between the two styles of parental involvement and the need to
integrate them both for academic and social success.
o Implication of the growth direct involvement on us as teachers.
Epsteins Six Types of Parental Involvement
o Development of communication over time as a major factor in 21 century.
Communication as a marker for change
o Growth of communication methods and the development of advanced
methods.
st

External Organizations
American PTA
o Three for Me initiative, Parents Guide to Student Success
o ABCs of Male Involvement: Ask, Bend, Communicate.
Alberta Teachers Association (ATA)
o Five Strategies for Getting Parents Involved
o Eight Strategies for Improving Communication
Calgary Board of Education
Teaching Channel, Reading Rockets, etc.

Parental Involvement: The Key To Education

Mikayla Kwan, Elin Pinkett, Patrick Steeves, Bradley Hamilton

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