Parental
Involvement: Needed or not?
Two
assistant professors wrote about parental involvement not being affective in a
child’s education. They stated in a blog
after writing their book The Broken
Compass: Parental Involvement with Children’s Education, that student
achievement is not improved by parents being involved by “observing a child’s
class, contacting a school about a child’s behavior, helping to decide a
child’s high school courses, or helping a child with homework, do not improve
student achievement”.
I
focus on quoting these types of engagement by Professor Harris and Professor
Robinson because I do not constitute those as parent involvement but more as a priority
of a parent. This blog post really upset
me with its focus topic because I know that part of the Head Start grant is
funded by parent engagement; thus, a parent being involved is really important
to me and my current job. It is really
important to find out what works and what hinders child development in their
education.
My
Spanish speaking families at Head Start did not have transportation and the
translator was not always available but I made sure the conversations and
homework were beneficial, in Spanish, and their children were highly motivated
in the class. Lastly, I do agree that “policy
makers should not advocate a one-size-fits-all model of parental involvement”
so what are some specific ways you utilize parents in your classroom? How do they stretch the classroom
expectations in to the home? At the beginning of the year, how do parents feel
about being involved? Teachers feel?
Robinson,
K. & Harris, A. (2014) Parental Involvement Is Overrated. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/12/parental-involvement-is-overrated/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
This is so important for every parent, teacher, ECE advocate to remember on a daily basis.
