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Family Involvement in Middle and High School Students’ Education


File number :
CS-CEFC-31e

Bibliographic reference :
Harvard Family Research Project (2007). Family Involvement in Middle and High School Students’ Education, No. 3 in a series, 12 pages. [On line].
<http://www.hfrp.org>  

Abstract :

This synthesis was conducted as part of Harvard Family Research Project activities that took place in the United States. It reported on research results highlighting the importance of parental engagement in the learning and social development of high school students. While parental engagement tends to subside as adolescents mature, it remains a determining factor in academic achievement and the pursuit of post-secondary education.

Educational Practices
These practices refer to parental attitudes, values and practices. More particularly, parenting styles, the quality of parent-adolescent relationships and guidance practices can influence academic achievement positively.

For instance, warm, responsive parenting during adolescence is related to academic achievement and positive social and emotional outcomes. Support, trust and respect are aspects of parent-adolescent relationships that lower the risks of school dropout, delinquency or depression. Positive parent-adolescent relationships also encourage students to become involved in extracurricular activities, thus fostering their full development.

Adequate monitoring of adolescent activities lowers the risks of school and behavioural problems. However, parental monitoring does not produce the same effect on every teen and varies according to context and gender.

Home-school Partnership
Cooperation between the home and school is as instrumental at the high school level as it is at the grade school level. It can take the form of communication between parents and school staff, parent involvement in school activities and meetings, volunteering, etc. This cooperation has a positive effect on the academic achievement and aspirations of youths, especially ethnic minority students. In addition, cooperation helps to develop positive attitudes and behaviour regarding school. Nonetheless, the effects of cooperation seem to vary according to parental culture and level of schooling.

Parental Responsibility in Learning
This element refers essentially to parental homework management, along with parental encouragement and expectations. Helping adolescents to manage their homework fosters better academic achievement, particularly for youths from underprivileged, immigrant or rural backgrounds. Furthermore, high parental aspirations have been identified as being among the greatest influences on academic achievement, because they influence the aspirations of adolescents. They are even said to counteract the negative effect of certain risk factors (e.g., low socio-economic status).

Recommendations
Several recommendations were made. In terms of policy-making, specific recommendations included investing in initiatives that foster parental engagement in youths’ readiness for transition towards post-secondary education and promoting the creation of small high schools encouraging parental engagement.

In terms of practice, recommendations included creating a variety of opportunities of involvement to reach out to as many parents as possible and encouraging the development of higher aspirations among families, schools and communities.

With regard to research, particular recommendations included further documenting transitions experienced during adolescence and the role families may play in these, and enhancing knowledge based on various family conditions (cultural, economic, etc.).

The abstract presenting the synthesis prepared by the Harvard Family Research Project on grade school may be viewed by searching the IOAA database with the CS-CEFC-28e file number.  



Links :

http://www.hfrp.org

 

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Key Words :
Parental Practices, Parental Engagement, Responsibility for Learning, Family Support, Homework Help, Harvard Family Research Project, Synthesis, Literature Review, Secondary/High School, WatchNewsletter9

Monitored Countries :
United State