Parental Involvement to enhance chances of a successful education

Parental Involvement to enhance chances of a successful education

(KITS.org, 2018)

I have recently come upon an experience where I was told, 'if parents follow procedure all children will do well'. It triggered a natural parental defensive mechanism in me, where I automatically felt I had to defend all children in this regard....but maybe I was confused by the statement that was made; never the less, the question of parental involvement was sparked. 

"So, what your saying is, if a parent does not follow guidelines set by the 'government ' their child will not learn anything??" Surely that is not true, does the DfE follow parental needs for their child's education, I mean after all surely what a parent wants for their child is just as important?

" Do parents have an impact in final policies, procedures and how children learn?? Do they have a say??

Does the school/government share a mutual outcome for child's education? 

But what if a parent does not agree with some policies that are set? who is to say these polices are best for their child??

Take note, this is what I was thinking in my head and not something I said out loud. There created a whirlwind of questions which are going to be the focus of this blog. A parents idea of a successful education may not be the same as a teacher, therefore ensuring both ideas are met would require collaboration between school, parent and child. The blog will be looking at policies within the UK that impact and encourage parental involvement and the barriers that may possibly contradict these policies.

(Gibb. 2016)

How can parent involvement aid a child's learning experience.

(Learning liftoff. 2015)

"Governments are supportive of the devolution of power to parents, partly since its suits other agendas they have, but it has come at a time when there also major changes to family structures, mobility and work which are all in opposition to improved parental involvement" (Hornby, 2011)

The above quote was taken from the 2011 'Parental involvement in childhood education' by Gary Hornby.  He refers to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) 1997 report which questions family involvement policies in nine OECD countries, which includes England and Wales. 

Many publications identify how parental involvement can enhance a child's learning experience and wellbeing. In 2009 the Dfe stated that "at-home, good parenting" involvement with a child had a positive impact to achievement despite the quality of school and other social cultural factors.

the DfE stated

" The more engaged parents are in the education of their children the more likely their children are to succeed in the education system. School improvement and school effectiveness research consistently shows that parental engagement is one of the key factors in securing higher student achievement" (DFE. 2009)

Estyn in 2009 produced its report ' Good practice in parental involvement in primary schools' they state that the purpose of the report was to investigate how primary schools involve parents effectively to promote pupils’ wellbeing and to improve the standards they achieve.

It states:

• Research shows that learning outcomes improve when there is shared understanding between teachers, parents/carers and other professionals of the processes that lead to improved learning and wellbeing in the classroom.  Opportunities for parents to participate in classroom activities can enable families to build their own strengths as learning mentors.  

• Positive links between school and the home can provide children and young people with more effective assistance and encouragement. 

• Parents have an important stake in the education of their children and play a significant part in supporting their children’s learning.  Effective parental involvement sets aspirations and shapes the child’s self-concept as a learner.  

(Estyn. 2009)

Joyce Epstein believes that there are some areas that require all round involvement from parent's community, school and child to provide child, parent and school the best possible outcomes.  Epstein discusses the overlapping spheres of influence theory which focuses on the requirements of the school parent and communities for all children. Looking into depth of this theory can become somewhat complicated but there is an overall theory of how all areas affect the child's learning. She discusses the forces and changes within an internal and external concept. The internal structure is based on a child's 'interpersonal relationships' for example child to parent, child to teacher and child to society. These factors can impact the closeness of the spheres.  The external structure discusses how the sphere is impacted by influences that can be out of child control for example the pressures of school transfer can impact the internal structure due to a loss of teacher -child connectivity or if the family is separated the pressures can effect family to school communication thus moving the spheres apart. This is the metaphor for lack of involvement can do to the impact on child's learning. All internal and external pressures work hand in hand to support the child's learning experience.  
When the child is experiencing internal pressures all areas of parent and school should increase in external pressures i.e. work together to support the child. (Epstein. 2011)  

(Epstein, 2011. pg 32)

What are the barriers of parental Involvement ?   

• Disagreement between school and parent - Parents know what is best / teachers know what is best for the child
• lack of communication
• Parents negative views of education
• identification of hard to reach parents
• Busy work life of parents
• Single parent families - lack of support
• Faith / cultural beliefs 
• Parent - Parent conflicts within school grounds

(Epstein. 2011)

 How can all culture and social background beliefs that are established by a parent be met in an educational setting?

A perfect example of this would be religion. Children within a religious home are taught from birth to appreciate and understand a religion that their parents follow; however, they then attend schools who might only focus on a particular faith i.e catholic schools. Northern Ireland has a large percentage of schools funded by the catholic church however as time is moving we are seeing changes to the structures of faith schools to allow an opendoor policy to all faiths. The problem with this is some parents may be completely against their child learning about new faiths, so at some point there has to be compromise and collaboration between Dfe and parents. How is that facilitated so all parents are satisfied that the religious education background and history of their belief is being taught.  Northern Ireland are now seeing joint faith schools being built, integrated schools now exist, which in today's multi-cultural society, could be beneficial to children, to understand other cultures faiths, beliefs, cultural history and provide a child with the benefit of an increase in social development. For the purpose of religious belief I have produced a blog Faith Schools..... A Whole New Eira. in this blog you can find information about integration schools, Steiner schools, parental beliefs and figures reflecting faith schools in NI and Wales.  

The 2002 Education act states that children should experience and education environment that ‘promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, social, mental and physical development of pupils and of society, and prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life'. This type of learning can help children to develop cultural and social understanding and diversity within communities. (Religious education in English schools. 2010) (Legislation.gov.uk, 2018)

It is the school's responsibility to promote religious diversity and understanding and its the parents responsibility to make the school aware of their beliefs. Should a parent wish for a child not to take part in an activity that goes against their religious beliefs, they have a right to request their child be withdrawn from such activity. (Religious education in English schools. 2010) 

What parents and schools can do can do to enhance involvement

Parents

• Have a positive attitude towards education. Some parents may have had a negative experience in school and feedback these negative experiences with their children. Whilst not realising this may have a negative impact on the child's view of school and the education system. Feed back the positive sides to school such as social connections, the academic gains and what it can do for their futures. 
• Regular interaction with the child's teacher. Having the allows the parent to understand what's going on in their child's day whilst they are away from home and allow the parent to ask questions about what their child is being taught or offer any assistance the child may need to help them in school.
• Raise concerns. If a parent has concerns regarding any aspect of school the parent should discuss this with the child's teacher or headteacher so they can help make school a happy place for their child.
• Be open minded and diverse to other cultures. Whilst many schools have an open door policy for multiple religions and races, children adapting to these differences can sometimes be confusing, it can create bullying or segregation between children.  Having a flexible approach to other cultures will not only allow a child to respect others but will allow them to learn of new cultures and beliefs and have a wider range of social development. 
• Take part in homework - Even if the parent struggled with subjects in school they can always assist by offering support to the child or by asking teachers for support in helping them to guide their child in the right directions. 
• Attend school events and make a presence within the school. 

Schools 

• Offer training programmes on how to support their child during school and at home
• Proactively encourage parents to attend events/parents evening
• Offer an open-door policy 
• regularly update parents on how the child is doing in school 
• Provide the child with support where needed and communicate why interventions are being made 
• Create a positive ethos to parents and community that is followed throughout the school staff
• Teachers - teacher communication during transitions to identify hard to reach parents so communications aren't lost when a new teacher takes responsibility of the child in a new year.
• Community events to welcome others into the school to create a positive view of the school within the community. 

(Goodall. 2011) (Campbell. 2011) 

To conclude whilst there are some barriers, schools and policy makers have identified the importance of parent - teacher involvement and it shows the positive impact it can have on the child's wellbeing, social development and attainment levels. (Goodall. 2011). Many parents may have experienced negative experiences during their time in school and pass this view down to the child. It is the schools responsibility to keep a positive ethos between parents and allow parents to express their thoughts on their child's learning. 

(Campbell.2011) (Healthy Schools co-ordinator, Salford PCT)

References

Campbell, C. (2011). Research Associate full report: How to involve hard-to-reach parents: encouraging meaningful parental involvement with schools Autumn 2011. National College for School Leadership; Schools and acedemies.

Epstein, J. (2011). School, family, and community partnerships. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Estyn (2009). Good practice in parental involvement in primary schools. Wales: HMRC.

Gibb, N. (2018). What is a good education in the 21st century?. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/what-is-a-good-education-in-the-21st-century [Accessed 7 Dec. 2018].

Goodall, J., Vorhaus, J., Carpentieri, J., Brooks, G., Akerman, R. and Harris, A. (2011). Review of best practice in parental engagement: Practioners summary. Gov.UK.

GOV.UK. (2011). Review of best practice in parental engagement. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-best-practice-in-parental-engagement [Accessed 18 Oct. 2018].

Hornby, G. (2011). Parental involvement in childhood education. New York: Springer, pp.25-37.

KITS.org (2018). Kids In Transition to School - How Parents Who Had Difficulties at School Can Help Their Children. [image] Available at: https://www.kidsintransitiontoschool.org/how-parents-who-had-difficulties-at-school-can-help-their-children/ [Accessed 14 Oct. 2018].

Learning Liftoff. (2015). How Parental Involvement Benefits the Entire Educational Process - Learning Liftoff. [online] Available at: https://www.learningliftoff.com/how-parental-involvement-benefits-the-entire-educational-process/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2018].

Legislation.gov.uk. (2018). Education Act 2002. Section 32. Part 6. [online] Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32/part/6 [Accessed 6 Dec. 2018].

Religious education in English schools. (2010). Nottingham: DCSF Publications.