Discussion
A number of initiatives were discovered during the literature review. However, the ones found used a passive approach to parental participation. They did not utilize education of the parents, but relied on conditions and resources within the school setting. This study differs in that it requires an active participatory role by parents. It also adds the educational element lacking in other programs for the same purpose. The addition of the educational as well as action-based elements is expected to have better outcomes on student improvement than more passive approaches to the problem.
Selected Solutions/Calendar Plan
The initiative chosen for the study will be developed through a cooperative effort between teachers, administrators, and the research staff. The proposed calendar would have the initiative ready to institute by the beginning of the 2009/2010 school year. The study would be completed in June of 2010, with the results and final report available by July 2010.
Chapter V: Results and Recommendations
Results
The results of the study indicate that students whose parents participated in the initiative experienced measurable improvement in all three areas of concern. They had an average Grade Point Average that was 10 points higher than students whose parents did not participate in the program. For students with no previous behavioral problems, no noticeable results were observed. However, for children with previously problematic behavioral problems, the results were dramatic. In some cases, the number of negative behaviors had been reduced to zero by the end of the school year. Attitudes tended to demonstrate a long-term improvement, rather than a sudden one. However, general attitudes were much better by the end of the year in the group that received the intervention, as compared to the control group. The initiative was considered to have resulted in a considerable improvement over those that did not receive the intervention.
Discussion
One of the key Concerns discovered during this research was a lack of parental involvement in the education of their middle school children. One of the more disturbing findings was that parental involvement was not a priority in the Mission and Responsibilities of the Texas Education Agency (2009). When parents become involved in the education of their children, it has positive results on test scores and other educational outcomes. The mission of the Texas Education Agency is to improve the academic outcomes of school children. Yet, their methods and policies do not match what research demonstrates as to the importance of parental involvement in the educational system.
Recommendations
One of the key components of a successful educational system is parental involvement. Yet, the TEA does not address this issue of concern. One of the key recommendations that came from this research is the need to develop firm policies on the state level that address the need for greater parental involvement in the education of all school children. The initiative studied in this research demonstrated a proven ability to increase parental involvement. This had a markedly positive outcome on Middle School grades and test scores. This initiative would make an excellent starting point for the introduction of similar initiatives in the Texas school system.
It is further recommended that the TEA support and...
Parental Involvement Cripps, K. & Zyromski, B. (2009). Adolescents' psychological well-being and perceived parental involvement: Implications for parental involvement in middle schools. RMLE Online 33(4). In "Adolescents' Psychological Well-Being and Perceived Parental Involvement: Implications for Parental Involvement in Middle Schools," Cripps & Zyromski (2009) perform an analysis of prior literature on appropriate styles and levels of parental involvement with their middle school-aged children. The review of literature has methodological limitations in that
Overall parental involvement has an effect on the child from the early stage to the secondary stage. Students need the parents for guidance, integrity and confidence to become successful in life because it is not the teachers job to make sure the students have these qualities. "In reality, parent involvement is a more diverse and complex concept than is generally acknowledged" (Dom & Verhoeven, 2006, p.570). The study will help
A study evaluating the personal biases held by educators in the context of parental involvement the (T.I.P.) project returned interesting results regarding intervention and assessment strategies designed to draw parents into the class room while maintaining the educator's sense of control and competence. It has been observed that while educator self-concept may differ, the successful involvement of parents in learning objectives results in increased assessment of educator competence by the
Parental Participation and Involvement Statement of Thesis: "Parental involvement" is considered "key" to successfully providing a quality educational future for one's child. Parents play an important role in a child's education. This paper intends to reveal through research, exactly why it is so imperative that a parent become and stay involved in the educational process. The benefits to be found in the educational system that has active and participant parents and the
Parental Involvement on School Performance and Behavior The concerns raised by a lack of parental involvement in the life of a young child, especially as it relates to schoolwork and behavior, are not new. They have been around ever since schools began to look at what types of influences seemed to matter most to children. However, it has only been in recent years that schools have made more of an
parental involvement and student academic success. The proposal examines previously published literature on the subject and then proposes a study to further examine the impact of parental involvement on the academic success of students. The writer explores several possible methods of study and chooses one most appropriate to the study being proposed and provides definitions and terms so that the reader has access to a full understanding of the
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now