[BOOK][B] The broken compass: Parental involvement with children's education

K Robinson, AL Harris - 2014 - degruyter.com
K Robinson, AL Harris
2014degruyter.com
In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will
attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the
TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President,
but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home.—
President Barack Obama, address to a joint session of Congress, February 24, 2009 It is
safe to say that most adults in this country believe that parent involvement is critical to …
In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children’s education must begin at home.—President Barack Obama, address to a joint session of Congress, February 24, 2009
It is safe to say that most adults in this country believe that parent involvement is critical to improving educational outcomes for all children. Parents’ contributions of time and effort are thought to be greatly beneficial in helping schools meet various state and community educational goals. This sentiment is well captured by Epstein (1996, 213), who claims,“We have moved from the question, Are families important for student success in school? To If families are important for children’s development and school success, how can schools help all families conduct the activities that will benefit their children?” The idyllic conception of an effective school is one in which the responsibility of educating children is shared equally between parents and teachers—where teachers provide formal instruction and implement school curriculum, and parents reinforce these efforts by creating a cultural milieu outside of school that facilitates the learning pro cess. The benefits of parental involvement are thought to be important throughout youths’ K–12 schooling careers. Involvement during early education is encouraged as a means of promoting positive attitudes and behaviors toward learning and mathematics development, and of improving student literacy (Englund et al. 2004; Jordan et al. 2009). For older children, parent involvement is thought to be important for reducing school delinquency,
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