Why is Parental Involvement
an Ongoing Critical Issue in
Special Education?
GVSU 670 Critical Issues in Special
Education
Elaine Martin and Linda Kevorkian
6/05/09
Why should we be worrying about
parental involvement?
It is mandatory…
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IDEA
Michigan
Administrative
Rules for Special
Education
FAPE
No Child Left
Behind
School
Improvement Plans
and AYP
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Pre-referral: RTI, functional
behavior analysis
Referral: Initial consent for
assessment and identification
Program planning and
implementation: IEP, IFSP,
positive behavior support
plans
Monitoring and compliance:
progress reporting, manifest
determination
Parental rights and due
process procedures
Parent advisory committees
FERPA and student records
parent counseling and
education re: child’s disability
and parent rights
Why should parent involvement in the
special education process be mandated?
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…because research shows that parent
involvement has a direct impact on:
1.
2.
3.
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student academic success
high school drop out rates
quality of life after school
San Diego County Office of Education (1997) and the
National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition
(2005)
Who are our parents?
17.9% of our population does not speak English
US 2007!
4.4 % Asian
15.1% Hispanic
12.8% Black
67.7% White
Non-traditional families…
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Single parent – mother
Single parent – father
Two working parents
Grandparents raising their
grandchildren
Divorced
Blended families
Immigrants
According to Families and Living Arrangements: 2006, there
were 12.9 million one-parent families in 2006 — 10.4 million
single-mother families and 2.5 million single-father families
Michigan Dept. of Education
Demographic Report for Grand Rapids Public Schools
14,000
3,500
12,000
3,000
10,000
2,500
8,000
2,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
single
mothers
2000
2006
1,500
1,000
500
0
single
fathers
2000
2006
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School districts must become
more pro-active about planning
for parent involvement.
How do we start?
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By asking the questions…
How do our various families view
and value education and parental
involvement?
What barriers exist that impact
parent involvement for our families
and are these barriers different for
different types of
families/demographics?
More questions….
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How and when are parents most
likely to be involved?
Do differing types of parental
involvement have different results
for students?
What motivates our parents to
become involved in their childrens
education?
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Where do we focus our resources
when attempting to increase
parental involvement?
We focused our questions around
parental involvement within two
groups:
 Families with children in secondary
education
 Families from the Hispanic and
Latino cultures
Research Question #1:
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How Important is Family
Involvement in Middle School
and High School Education?
What the research tells us…(Epstein, 2001)
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Schools play a key role in determining the
levels of parent involvement.
The older a student is and the higher the
concentration of low-income students in
the school, the more important parent
involvement is, however...
Parent involvement declines as students
grow older.
Parent involvement declines as income
level decreases.
How can we get middle school and
high school parents more involved?
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Help families learn about school
programs and student needs on a
regular basis.
Involve families as volunteers
Demonstrate how families can be
involved in the learning process at home.
Include parents as decision-makers in
important matters at every level of
decision-making.
Coordinate with business and agencies
to provide resources and services for
families.
Epstein 2001
National Alliance for Secondary Education
and Transitions: Family Involvement (2005)
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Reviewed four standards for parental involvement
at the secondary level and provided supporting
research and discussion:
Standard 4.1
School staff members demonstrate a strong
commitment to family involvement and
understand its critical role in supporting
high achievement, access to postsecondary
education, employment, and other
successful adult outcomes.
The power of commitment…
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Family involvement and support is linked to
decreased dropout rate, increased
achievement rate on test, improved student
behavior, higher grades and improved
attitude towards school for student with or
without disabilities.
(Henderson & Berla, 1994; Henderson & Mapp2002; Hughes et. al.,
1997; James & Partee,2003; Keith et. al., 1998; Koher,1996.).
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Standard 4.2
Communication among youth, families, and
schools is flexible, reciprocal, meaningful, and
individualized.
communicating with families…
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Outreach, communication and
relationships with families … are keys to
effective programs (Henderson & Mappp,2002; James
& Prate,, 2003; Keith, et al, 19198, Mapp, 1997; Rutherford &
Billing, 1995; Sanders, et al.; 1999Yap & Enoki,1994)
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(Parent involvement is) essential for
students for culturally diverse
backgrounds
There is a need to build trust and
collaboration between schools and
parents (Guy, Goldberg, McDonald, & Flam, 1997).
Standard 4.3
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School staff actively cultivate, encourage, and
welcome youth and family involvement.
cultivating parental involvement…
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Develop a formal process for identifying the strengths and needs
then connecting families and students to groups that offer
support.
(Kohler, 1993; Rutherford & Billing, 1995)
Schedule meetings that accommodate the timing and
transportation needs of families.
Offer family training on positive family-child relationships.
(James & Partee, 2003; National PTA, 1997; Simmons, Stevenson, & Strand, 1993)
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Train staff on how to work in a collaborative fashion with
families and students
(Boethel,2003; Espinosa,1995; Kessler-Sklar &Baker, 2000; Krieger, 2002; National PTA,1997)
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Support community diversity.
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Provide parents with community resources.
(Boethel, 2003; Furney & Salembier, 2000).
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Standard 4.4
Youth, families, and school staff are
partners in the development of policies
and decisions affecting youth and
families
Strategies for effective partnering …
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Develop an accessible and understandable decisionmaking and problem-solving process for all parties
involved (parents, school and community).
(National PTA, 1997)
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Disseminate information about policies, goals, and reforms
to families and students
(Kohler, 2000; Lopez 2002; National Center for
Dissemination of Disability Research, 1999)
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Institute policies that respect diversity.
(Boethel, 2003; Harry 2002, Kalyanpur, Harry & Skrtic, 2000; Lamorey, 2002)
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Provide training on policy, reform and related issues.
( James & Partee, 2003, National PTA 1997)
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Include student and families on decisions, governance, and
other program and school committees.
( Furney & Salembier, 2000; James 7 Partee 2003 ; National PTA; Sanders et al , 1999)
Best Practice:
Schools and Families - Creating Essential
Connections for Learning
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The definition for the family has changed. Family has been
replaced with “parent” because of the significant adults in
the lives of children, and the options beyond being
volunteer, homework helper, and fundraiser.
The school environment influences the student’s academic
achievement and school performance.
What a family does to support learning in the home has a
greater impact on achievement than who the family is
according to their financial status.
Out of school time is powerful, which includes community
and friendships for school achievement.
Programs that are comprehensive and well-planned provide
options for family involvement and allow schools to be
responsive for family diversity. This is critical for continued
success in middle and high school.
The more the home and school match in academic context
and importance, the more of a contribution the family
makes to the student’s success in school.
Best Practice: Family Involvement in Middle
and High School Students’ Education
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The schools, teachers, and parents can monitor the student’s
growth and progress. This is a time in a young person’s life
when they are trying to gain independence from their parents
while maintaining connections to them. It respects their
autonomy while maintaining the relationship with their child.
Finally, parents need to set up a climate of high expectations
in the home, school, and community for their children. This is
more important than any other time in their life. They need to
feel competent and encouraged to complete tasks and enroll
in difficult coursework.
Parents can handle this hurdle by maintaining high
expectations and raising their students self-confidence to help
them internalize educational values.
Research Question #2:
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What do we know about parental
involvement of Latino and
Hispanic Families in their
children’s education?
What a review of the research tells us….
Three critical factors which determine
parent involvement:
 Parent’s role construct (their beliefs
about their need to be involved in
the child’s education)
 parents’ sense of self-efficacy
(belief that they have the
knowledge and skills to be involved)
 school invitations.
Research shows…
…cultural and socioeconomic factors
strongly influenced perceptions (of
Latinos and Hispanics) about
parental involvement.
Do Educational Programs Increase Parents’
Practices at Home?: Factors Influencing Latino
Parent Involvement (Chrispeels & Gonz, 2004)
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These investigators studied the effects of a 9
week parent education program on the
involvement of 1,156 Latino parents in 20
California elementary and secondary schools.
The Parent Institute for Quality Education, a nonprofit group, provided the education program.
The purpose of the course was to help Latino and
other immigrant parents learn about the American
educational system, how to interact with schools
and teachers, and how to help their children at
home.
Parents were surveyed before and
after the 9 week course.
Assessed seven areas related to parent involvement:
1. home learning activities (e.g., reading to child),
2. parenting practices (e.g., praising child)
3. home-school connections (e.g., PTA meetings),
4. parents’ knowledge (e.g., knowing academic
standards)
5. sense of self-efficacy (e.g. able to help child be
successful in school)
6. parent role construction (parents believe they have
to be involved in child’s education)
7. college expectations (e.g., expect child to go to
university)
Results of the study…
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Parent education program affected parent’s role
construct (their belief that they need to be involved in
their child’s education)
A significant difference in parent knowledge, beliefs,
and practices was found after the 9 week program.
Parents reported dramatic changes in their parenting
behaviors such as using more praise and less physical
punishment, establishing rules and limiting TV time.
Knowledge gained in the program is the strongest
predictor of Latino parent involvement with both
elementary and secondary-aged children. At the
secondary level, parental participation in school
activities affected parenting practices. The knowledge
gained through the program directly influenced
parent’s decisions to contact the school.
Additional findings…
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Parents’ knowledge about the school system and the
importance of being involved are the easiest in which to effect
change.
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Role construct can be changed with knowledge.
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Latino families will respond if the school provides information
about how to help in a culturally sensitive way.
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Parents need to understand that planning for college must
begin in elementary and junior high school and this
knowledge can help parents reconstruct their role and
parenting practices.
Home-school connections are the most difficult to change and
require more effort on the part of the school and teachers to
increase invitations and opportunities for involvement.
Best practice article:
Involving Migrant Families in Education
(Martinez &Velazquez, 2000)
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“Increasing parental involvement
requires understanding migrant
families' strengths, their family
dynamics, the challenges their
mobile lifestyle creates, and
recognition of the positive
contributions migrant parents make
to their children's education”.
Educators typically believe parent involvement
is about…
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“preparing children for
school (i.e., teaching
children the alphabet,
talking and reading to
children to promote
language development),
attending school events
(i.e., parent-teacher
conferences) and
fulfilling any requests
teachers make of
parents (i.e., to play
word games with their
children at home)”
Migrant families believe…
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education is
about ”instruction
in issues such as
development of
morals, values,
respect for self
and others, good
manners,
responsibility
towards self and
the community
vs. teaching
reading, writing,
and academics”
Barriers to parental involvement…
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lack of English
lack of
educational skills
(especially for
children in higher
grades)
long work hours
and lack of time
You can help if you …
Acknowledge parents for the way they
support their child with emotional
(vs. environmental and financial)
resources:
 Sharing life stories that encourage
being a good citizen
 Instilling a value for hard work
 Emphasizing how difficult life can be
without an education
What else can you do…
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Use bilingual community liaisons to train parents and to
help bridge language and cultural differences between
home and school
Provide child care, transportation, evening and weekend
activities, and refreshments.
Implement a curriculum that reflects the culture, values,
interests, experiences, and concerns of the migrant family
so parents can more easily relate to "homework" and be
more inclined to help their child (also increasing their
confidence and self-esteem).
Provide flexible instructional programming that allows
students to drop out of school to work or take care of family
responsibilities and return to pick up their academic work
without penalties.
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Develop opportunities for education and training
at work sites, community centers, churches, and
school sites for both students and families.
Provide access to on-line links to college and ESL
courses via distance learning options at public
computer centers
Partner with the agriculture industry to develop
collaborative opportunities that allow parents to
attend school activities during work hour and
utilize parents' knowledge, skills, and talents.
Give migrant parents an opportunity at parentteacher conferences to express ways they
believe they can contribute to their child’s
education.
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Coordinate social and health outreach efforts with local
school community involvement activities, making them less
threatening to migrant parents who are hard to reach.
Incorporate more bilingual and Spanish language books in
schools and public libraries to promote family reading at
home. Juevos verdes y hamon, Juan Ramon!
Transcribe oral family histories or experiences for inclusion
in library collections, providing parents, grandparents, and
other family members with links to school and community.
Reach out to parents and secondary school students by
using bilingual community liaisons, secondary school
advisors, advocates, and peer and cross-age tutors or
mentors.
Think "family" rather than just "parent"
when planning involvement activities.
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Develop parent programs that include workshops or
retreats at colleges and universities in order to
provide an early orientation to the postsecondary
education process.
Conduct parent workshops that include such activities
as "sharing secret talents" (e.g., singing,
craftsmanship, crocheting, etc.) that empower
parents with the knowledge that they can benefit
students and schools.
Promote higher aspirations among students and
families through community based career education
and parent/child work-study positions.
Ask an Expert - Welcoming Hispanic Children and
Families to Preschool
(Cristina Sanchez-Lopez January, 2006)
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It’s ok (and good) for parents to speak to their child
in their native language at home. The stronger the
child’s first language, the greater likelihood of
academic success.
Make certain that the books you choose to have and
use (for classroom or to take home) do not depict a
particular race of people in a stereotypical manner.
Parents may be hesitant to ask questions except
about how their child is behaving. Remember that
this doesn’t mean that those parents do not care
about their children’s education. They are the
parents who are expected to care for, nourish,
discipline, nurture, and love their children but you are
the teacher. Be sure to acknowledge their
contributions and how they will help their child in
school.
Understand that children are not sent off to
school at such a young age in many countries.
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Show respect for the families culture by ensuring that
there non-stereotypical artifacts visible throughout
your classroom.
At the beginning of the year, ask the parents their
child’s name, how to pronounce it correctly, and then
practice the name in front of them until they smile and
give you the OK. This starts the year off letting the
parents know how much you care for their child and
how much you respect them, their language, and their
culture, and it puts them at ease
Give clear instructions on what things to work on at
home in their language while you work on other things
at school. They should be encouraged to share what
sorts of things they see while you share your side.
Let parents know about our unspoken cultural norms and
help them function more comfortably in U.S. society.
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Help the children to
connect to their parents,
their language, and their
culture. Learn some of
their Spanish words.
Inform parents about what
you are studying in class
for each unit.
Encourage children to read
to their parents and
parents to read to their
children.
Conclusions:
Planning for parental involvement on a more
personal and individualized level will
support, encourage and motivate higher
levels of participation by our diverse
families and ultimately, have a greater
impact on student success both in school
and in post-school life.