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Transcript of KMiletoActionResearchProjectFinalWriteUp12.19.14
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 1
Where Are All The Parents?: Encouraging Parental Involvement in School
GEE 610: Action Research Project II
Katherine A. Mileto
December 16, 2014
Champlain College
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 2
Abstract
This qualitative research explored the topic of parental involvement in a public
elementary school. The purpose of this study was to find out how today’s parents,
teachers, and administration perceive and value family participation in schools at the
kindergarten level. In particular this study focused on, William Shatner Elementary
School (pseudonym) and its parent-teacher organization (PTO), as well as the view of
parents in the community. In order to do this study the areas of parental involvement
needed to be divided into home-based and school-based participation. The
perspectives gathered from this research provided insight on some of the issues that
impact parent involvement.
Focus Statement
The purpose of this research is to assess parent, teacher and administrator
perceptions of parent involvement in school and to identify areas of similarity and areas
of conflict in perceptions. The goal of this research is to better understand the myriad of
issues that positively or negatively impact parent involvement. This action research
should provide an understanding of these issues that could support positive change in
how parents are involved in their children’s education. An action plan will be created
based on this project to begin the process of changing how parents are involved in their
child’s education for the target school.
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 3
Introduction
For the past eight years I have worked as both an educator and as an
administrator at two early childhood schools. With each passing year I would find that it
grew harder and harder to encourage parents to participate in school-based activities or
school-to-home connection based activities. The first school I worked at, as a teacher, I
worked with parents who were more apt to donating items then coming in to help
organize field trips or be the mystery reader for the classroom. At my current center, as
an administrator, I have listened to the staff discuss at our monthly meetings how they
are having difficulties incorporating activities for the children to extend the learning at
home because “the parents are not returning the items lent to the student” or “the
parents are just leaving the projects that are to be finished at home in the cubbies or
throwing them away in the trash can in the coat room” (C. Henrik, personal
communication, October 22, 2014). With the knowledge and belief that parents are a
child’s first educator I set my focus on the ‘who, what, why, and how’ of parental
involvement to find out why I was seeing the changes and was it happening in other
schools as well. Due to ethical reasons I did not conduct this study at my own school.
Instead I chose the elementary school where the students from the school I worked at
would feed into.
Literature Review
Educators have long since recognized that parents are a child’s first educator.
Both Vygotsky (1978) and Bronfenbrenner (1986) theorized and developed models on
how sociocultural backgrounds and life events are the most important influence of a
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 4
child’s development. In fact, parental involvement and participation in education has
been researched and considered an effective element of children's education for over
the past 40 years (Hornby & Lafaele, 2011). In the articles I reviewed for this action
research project the conclusion is the same, parents and schools should work together
with clear communication and expectations in order to help build relationships between
all parties (parent, child, teacher, administration and community) and provide students
with the best possible educational journey (Fantuzzo, Tighe & Childs, 2000; Hornby &
Lafaele, 2011). The research only offers suggestions with little value on implementation
and each involved party perceives and values participation and involvement in different
forms (Fantuzzo, Tighe & Childs, 2000). In order to identify how to build relationships
between the parties I researched how parents, teachers, administration, and the school
community (PTO) perceived the participation and to what respect each level of
participation was valued.
Levels of participation
Epstein (1995, 2001) classified parental involvement and participation behaviors
into six types; basic obligations (buying of school supplies), home to school reciprocal
communications, school based (volunteering), learning activities at home, school
decision making (school board elections, PTO), and community organization
partnerships (intramural sports, Boy/Girl Scouts, Church). The two main categories that
are focused on in this Action research are school-based involvement (volunteering) and
home-based involvement (learning activities at home). I choose these two categories as
they were identified by the staff as areas of weakness in our program (W. Darling,
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 5
personal communication, October 22, 2014). Further research of the chosen
categories, home-based and school-based, showed that there are various barriers to
overcome in order to create clear paths of communication and build reciprocal
relationships amongst all parties.
Barriers
Parental involvement is multidimensional and there are a number of
circumstances as to why parental involvement can seem complicated for all involved
parties. There are many unseen factors that contribute to the how and why of
involvement and participation. These factors can include the parents’ apprehension of
their part in their child’s education to the school’s willingness to allow parents to
participate in educational experiences (Summer & Summer, 2014, Mendez, 2010). It is
not just about the recruitment and maintenance of volunteers year to year (LaRocque,
Kleinman & Darling, 2011). Each component of participation has its own perspective
based on methods, procedures, attitude, atmosphere, and actions (Hornby & Lafaele,
2011). Barriers identified by this research are;
● Teacher’s perspective on parents in the classroom based on prior experiences
(Souto-Manning & Swick, 2006).
● Schools valuing only involvement that can be seen, such as homeroom mom or
PTO committee (Taliaferro, DeCuir-Gunby & Allen-Eckard, 2009).
● Cultural backgrounds (LaRocque, Kleinman & Darling, 2011).
● Socioeconomic status (LaRocque, Kleinman & Darling, 2011).
● Communication disadvantages (LaRocque, Kleinman & Darling, 2011).
● Work related schedules (LaRocque, Kleinman & Darling, 2011).
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 6
● Parents low level of education (LaRocque, Kleinman & Darling, 2011).
Student achievement
The behaviors and attitudes that teachers and families may exhibit contribute to a
child’s success in school (Mendez, 2010). The student achievement factor ties into
family involvement and participation both in and out of a school setting (LaRocque,
Kleinman & Darling, 2011). Parental involvement is not just volunteering, it includes
helping with homework, reading to the child, and actively participating in the everyday
routines of life. There is a joint connection between a child’s school and their home that
plays a key role in their learning and development (Galindo & Sheldon, 2010).
Parents who actively contribute to their child’s school portfolio, engage in
conversations with their child’s teacher beyond parent-teacher conferences, and build
that reciprocal relationship between home and school help strengthen and expose their
child’s needs (Bates, 2014, Summer & Summer, 2014). Multiple studies have shown
that parent-child interactions at home are a strong influence on children’s cognitive
development (Cheung & Pomerantz, 2012; Calindo & Sheldon, 2012; Mendez, 2010). It
has been proven that parents become more involved in their child’s education when the
school or teachers make a stronger effort to engage them in their child’s learning
(Calindo & Sheldon, 2012).
Conclusion
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (2001) now requires four principles for
parent involvement and participation within a school. These four principles are; multi-
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 7
level leadership, involvement as a component of school and classroom organization,
shared responsibilities of educators and families for learning and success in school, and
programs that are inclusive to all families including those not already involved (NCLB,
2001). Even though NCLB brought parental involvement into the spotlight it has not
helped schools clarify how to move beyond talking about involvement to actively
facilitating involvement (LaRocque, Kleinman & Darling, 2011). Teachers and parents
describe participation and involvement in meaningful and valued ways but each is held
to different degrees dependent on their perspective. No amount of participation and
involvement should be undervalued. Supportive collaboration attitudes among parties
should contain dynamic communication and active participation (Fantuzzo, Tighe &
Childs, 2000). Moving away from the negative perceptions and attitudes held by school
officials, parents, and educators on participation is the first step in helping the
involvement of families increase (LaRocque, Kleinman & Darling, 2011).
Based on the readings, this Action Research project will assess current
perceptions of parent involvement by parents, teachers, and administrators. The
questions asked in both the interviews and surveys will be about home based and
school based participation. This way the perspectives and value of both types of
involvement can be identified and measured. By learning how parent’s understand and
see the importance of family involvement, the school will decide on how they can
change its current path to ways that are more conducive for involvement.
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 8
Defining the variables
The variable that was taken into consideration for this research project were the
attitudes of the participants. Do the teachers and administration like parent volunteers?
Is the teacher receptive and open to parents being in the classroom? Do the parents
feel welcomed in the classroom? Are the parents a valued for their participation? The
participants’ perspectives and feelings towards the subject of participation could factor
into the positive or negative outcomes of the interviews and surveys.
Research questions
How do parents and teachers value family involvement in the kindergarten years?
Sub questions
● How do teachers/administrators engage and enable the parents to get
involved?
● What types of school involvement do parents and teachers/administrators
prefer and value?
Data collection
I studied how parents view and participate within an elementary school setting
and through home based activities. I also studied how educational professionals
promote and view parent participation within the school. The questions for both the
surveys and interviews were based on the themes provided from the reviewed literature.
In order to accomplish this I sent an online ten-question survey to a local Mom’s group
whose children attended the target school. I also conducted interviews with three
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 9
school officials in various roles. The three school officials were the principal, a
kindergarten teacher and the PTO president.
Surveys were sent to families in the local Mom's Club whose students attend
William Shatner Elementary School. Those taking the survey had ten questions of both
multiple choice and open ended. Some of the multiple-choice questions could have
more than one response and therefore the data could not be calculated in percentages.
The goal of the survey was to find out the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of parent participation. The
‘what’ being the types of volunteering they did. The ‘how’ being when they volunteered
or participated with consideration to the barriers (if any) and perceptions of the ‘what’
(types of volunteering). The survey received a total of eleven responses.
Interviews with the principal, D. Umbridge, kindergarten teacher, E. Halsey, and
the president of the PTO, A. Gold were done in order to understand the perception of
the school’s view to see if it was the same as the parents. The questions in the
interviews were similar, however some of the questions were based on the participant's
role within the school. For example all three interviewees were asked about the
recruitment methods the school used and if it is difficult to retain volunteers. E. Halsey,
in addition, was asked about her strategies to involve parents in the classroom and
through school to home connections. This questions could not be asked to A. Gold and
D. Umbridge because they are not classroom teachers.
In addition to the interviews and surveys a journal of my findings, thoughts, and
tribulations of the process was kept in order to identify any researcher biases in order to
rule them out. Scholarly articles on parent involvement, student achievement,
viewpoints of various school and other educational professionals, and barriers or
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 10
challenges of parent involvement were read in order to help formulate survey and
interview questions as well as gain background knowledge on the subject.
Data consideration
The parents, teacher, and administrators who participated in this research were
hand-selected individuals. They were chosen based on their educational backgrounds
and extended years of service in the field and within this subject matter. This qualitative
study was done to generate more questions in order to help and take action at the
target school. This study is not intended to be generalizable to everyone. However, it
may provide ideas and provoke thoughts in others to try similar examples or research
this topic in their own setting. Those who participated in the study wanted to be a part
of the research project in order to help be a part of the change that this research would
invite.
The information contained in this study can be measured for reliability and
validity through the following factors. All interviews and surveys were taken with
consent and based on their anonymity. The parent surveys were taken via an online
data collection website. Therefore all was done anonymously. The parents received an
email that was forwarded from me through the leader of the Mom’s club. Since I am not
a member of the Mom’s club I did not have direct access to each member's’ email
address. The email consisted of a link to the online survey and a consent form that
explained the research being conducted and that participation was optional. The email
also stated that the parents could opt out at any time and/or skip any questions they
were not comfortable answering with no consequences. Interviews were conducted
with a variety of school constituents (principal, teacher, and PTO president). From the
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 11
interviews I received similar answers to the questions that were the same from interview
to interview by the participants. Therefore I am confident that my study was valid.
All research documented in this paper used pseudonyms and therefore is regarded as
confidential and is only going to be shared in contexts that will not harm any individual.
All answers were provided through open and honest communication and therefore if
these individuals were to be asked the same questions again I am confident that they
would produce the same answers.
Data analysis and interpretation
Parent survey data
Figures 1 through 5 represent the answers from all eleven participants in the
online survey. The participants in this survey were all parents of kindergarten students
at William Shatner Elementary School who belong to the local Mom’s Club. The ten-
question survey was divided into two sections, school based involvement and home
based involvement. All but the tenth question was multiple choice. All the multiple
choice questions had ‘other’ listed as one of the options for parents to write in their own
answer or elaborate on their chosen answer.
Figure 1 shows that when the eleven participants were asked, “Do you volunteer
at your child’s school”, seven answered the questions “yes”, three answered “no”, and
one answered “only when no one else volunteers and someone needs to step up”.
64%
27%
9%
Do you volunteer at your child's school? (Figure 1)
YesNoOnly when no one else has volunteered and someone needs to step up
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 12
Figure 2 shows how the eleven parents in the survey define
volunteering/participating in their child’s school. On this question the participants could
choose from a few predetermined responses as well as list other answers. More than
one answer was allowed to be chosen. Out of the eleven participants seven chose
“donating items” and “attending parent-teacher “conferences” as their main way of
participating/volunteering in their child’s school.
64%
27%
9%
Do you volunteer at your child's school? (Figure 1)
YesNoOnly when no one else has volunteered and someone needs to step up
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 13
Types of Volunteering
(Figure 2)
Donating Items
Classroom Parent
Attending PTO
Meetings
Library Volunteer
Fun Fairs and other
events held by the PTO
Back to School Night
Attending Parent Teacher
Conferences
Fundraising
School Trip Chaperone
Coaching Athletic Teams
Driving to Events Held
by the School
Reading to or with my child(9)
Helping with homework(8)
Discussing my child's day(9)
Creating activities and projects of our own to accomplish with my
children(3)
What activities do you do at home to encourage and connect what is taught at
school?(Figure 3)
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 14
Figure 3 displays the information from one of the survey questions on home-
based parent participation. This question could have multiple answers by one
participant therefore the numbers in the chart total over the number of participants.
Figure 4 contains the data about the participants’ view on school to home
activities. According to the results, the participants mostly view the home to school
activities as a way of participating in their child’s school. It can also be concluded that
the participants value home to school connections because no one answered “no”.
45%
18%
36%
Do you feel the activities you do at home are your way of particpating in
your child's school? (Figure 4)YesSometimesNoThe activites at home are more for family bonding time
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 15
Based on the results of figures 1 and 2, parents are more apt to donating
items than physically being present at their child’s school but still see donating as their
main way of participating. The reason parents in this survey are more apt to donating
items than being physically present is due to their work schedule. This reasoning is
based on the results from the “the barriers the participants face” survey question.
Overwhelmingly the answer was “work schedule”. Only one parent said they are not
interested in the opportunities available to them.
In order to find out how to become more inclusive of parents’ busy schedules the
parent online survey asked one open-ended question, “If you could change one thing
about parent participation at the school what would it be?” The answer was unanimous,
“Parent and student engagement that was meaningful and connected the learning”.
Since this was an anonymous online survey, I could not follow up with the parents for an
elaboration of what “meaningful engagement” would look like. From the results of
figures 3 and 4, I can only concluded that parents wanted to be able to have their home
based activities count and connect to in school participation, as a majority of the parents
feel that the activities they conduct to home are their way of participating in their child’s
school. The “meaningful engagement” that the participants would like to see should be
discussed in more detail and will be the focus for the dissemination of this action
research with the faculty at William Shatner Elementary School.
Data from interviews
The interviews for this action research project were conducted with three school
constituents. E. Halsey is one of four kindergarten teachers at William Shatner
Elementary school. She has taught at the district for over 17 years and has exclusively
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 16
taught kindergarten for 10 years. D. Umbridge is the principal at William Shatner
Elementary School. D. Umbridge is new to William Shatner Elementary School but has
been a principal in the districts three other elementary schools for 14 years. A. Gold is
the PTO President for William Shatner elementary school. This is A. Gold’s last year as
President, as his youngest child will graduate from the school in June. He has been the
PTO President for 11 years. This district has made the jump from half-day kindergarten
to full day in the fall of 2014. Therefore some of the comparisons made to previous
school years may be slightly askew as the dynamics may have changed in terms of stay
at home parents versus working parents and the fact that before and after care run by
the elementary school can now be offered to the kindergarten students.
The interviewees were asked a series of questions on parent involvement
including recruitment, how they engage parents to volunteer, how do they show parents
they are valued, what emphasis they place on school to home connections, and what
types of parent volunteering is most preferred (donating, classroom parent, joining the
PTO, etc.).
All three interviewees’ answers were similar when asked about, “How does your
school promote parent involvement?” and “Do you find it difficult to recruit and retain
volunteers?” The common answers to recruit and promote parent involvement for
upcoming events were, our Facebook page, twitter, send home flyers, email, using the
virtual backpack system, and newsletters (A. Gold, Personnal communication,
November 5, 2014, E. Halsey, personal communication, November 11, 2014, D.
Umbridge, personal communication, November 13, 2014). For retaining parent
volunteers the school constituents claim that retaining parents is not an issue,
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 17
“Every year we have a core base of parents who will step up to do what is
needed and they continue the same path from when their kid starts at the school
in kindergarten until their kid leaves at fourth grade graduation” (A. Gold,
personal communication, November 5, 2014).
In the interview with E. Halsey I asked, “Have you noticed a trend in the past
years of parent involvement rising or declining? Why do you think that is?”
“Since I started teaching in 1996 there has definitely been a decrease in parent
participation. I think this is due to how busy parents are with full-time
jobs/careers, and the influx of new technology allowing parents to continue
working after work hours (text, email). I believe the economy has definitely
caused the number of stay-at-home parents to sharply decline. In the past four
years alone I have fewer volunteers, but I have never had to donate things on my
own. I have always had parent support in that respect. ” (E. Halsey, personal
communication, November 11, 2014).
PTO president A. Gold and Principal D. Umbridge agree that economics have led
to a decline in physical volunteers (A. Gold, personal communication, November 5,
2014, D. Umbridge, personal communication November 13, 2014).
“I wish we could have more parents who would ‘chair’ events. Since last year, I
have often wondered why we can get so many donations both monetarily and for
specific items, but I cannot get many to ‘hold the clipboard’ and lead an event.”
(A.Gold, personal communication, November 5, 2014).
From this statement and through the answers A. Gold gave, he prefers that
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 18
parents volunteer their time in addition to just donating items (A.Gold, personal
communication, November 5, 2014). In an effort to help the PTO, D. Umbridge stated
that she has been reaching out to those who donate items frequently to find different
ways to incorporate their physical involvement but has had little luck finding an answer
(Personal communication, November 13, 2014). It is unclear if D. Umbridge prefers
parents to physically volunteer, as she did not give any indication on her preference,
however her efforts to help gather volunteers can be considered that she is in favor of
having parents volunteer at the school.
From the interviews I conducted with the D. Umbridge and E. Halsey the school
does promote school to home connections through, sending home tips on how to read
with your child and newsletters to promote meaningful academic conversations. (E.
Halsey, personal communication, November 11, 2014, D. Umbridge, personal
communication, November 13, 2014).
“If the parent truly wants to help out more than donating items they can volunteer
to cut out or organize projects for hallway displays” (E. Halsey, personal
communication, November 11, 2014).
The perception here, based on the interview answers, is that when a parent
helps in this manner they are meaningfully connecting to their child’s school day
because the parent ‘helped’ make the project (E. Halsey, personal communication,
November 11, 2014). From the interview with E. Halsey, based on her answers, she in
the past has welcomed parent volunteers into her classroom but has not done much to
promote school to home connections or help find ways for working parents to be more
active in their child’s education at school.
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 19
This research from the both the online surveys and interviews show that there is
a discrepancy between what the school is doing to engage working parents with limited
time and what options parents would like in order to be a part of their children’s
education. Even though the parents are willing to donate items and help with school to
home activities there are still shortcomings on the school’s part to bridge the gap in
helping the parents connect in a meaningful way to the school and their child’s
education.
Connecting the data
Action plan
The data collected in this research showed how the perception behind parental
involvement was similar between both parties but the ways to achieve such were mixed
and filled with more questions than answers. Both parties agreed that parents need to
be involved in their child’s education and that by participating in school activities is one
way to feel connected to their child’s education. The difference was in how to make the
connection. The research also showed that there is a discrepancy between what the
school is doing to engage working parents with limited time and what options parents
would like in order to be a part of their children’s education. The PTO and principal
wanted more leadership for events. The teacher liked sending items home to be cut,
sorted, and compiled for upcoming projects. The parents wanted meaningful activities
to participate in, beyond volunteering to run the concession stand of the fun fair.
This Action Research provided the opportunity for a deeper look into the multi-
faceted views of parent participation. The data is both powerful and valuable in terms of
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 20
bringing about change to the school. The discussion that will be brought forth to the
staff and PTO will be focused on activities that can incorporate what the working
parents would like in order to feel as they have options and are connected to their
children’s education in a meaningful way. Based on the data and themes that emerged
from this study, I plan to take the following steps:
1. Findings will be presented to the principal and PTO president in the form of an
info graphic flyer.
2. A round table discussion on the findings will be presented to the staff at an
upcoming meeting.
3. The parents will receive a take home flyer on the top ten ways they can be
involved in their child’s school. The parent flyer will then be included in the
school’s 2015-2016 edition of the parent handbook.
4. One event will be created for the following school year that takes into
consideration the data from this research.
Final thoughts
This Action research has opened a path of discussion for my center as well as
the elementary school. I found that the needs of the parents are not fully being met and
that the school recognizes there is a problem but does not know how to approach
change. I am looking forward to the meeting at the elementary school and the event
they will put together. It will be interesting to hear the feedback from the parents as I will
be invited to the event to see the outcome and have casual conversations with the
parents. I will also be conducting my own study at my center after the staff and I have
looked at the data and created one event that could be seen as meaningful connection
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 21
for the parents. I want the parents at my center to compare past events to the new
meaningful event in order to receive feedback on the direction my center should take.
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 22
References
Bates, C (2014). Digital portfolios: Using technology to involve families. Young Children,
69(4), 56-57.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development:
Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22, 723-742.
Cheung, C. S. S., & Pomerantz, E. M. (2012). Why does parents' involvement enhance
children's achievement? The role of parent-oriented motivation. Journal of
educational psychology, 104(3), 820.
Epstein, J.L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we
share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76, 701-712.
Epstein, J.L. (2001). School, family and community partnerships. Boulder, CO:
Westview Press.
Fantuzzo, J., Tighe, E., & Childs, S. (2000). Family Involvement Questionnaire: A
multivariate assessment of family participation in early childhood
education.Journal of educational psychology, 92(2), 367.
Galindo, C., & Sheldon, S. B. (2012). School and home connections and children's
kindergarten achievement gains: The mediating role of family involvement. Early
Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(1), 90-103.
Hornby, G., & Lafaele, R. (2011). Barriers to parental involvement in education: An
explanatory model. Educational Review, 63(1), 37-52.
LaRocque, M., Kleiman, I., & Darling, S. M. (2011). Parental involvement: The missing
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 23
link in school achievement. Preventing School Failure, 55(3), 115-122.
Mendez, J. L. (2010). How can parents get involved in preschool? Barriers and
engagement in education by ethnic minority parents of children attending Head
Start. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16(1),
26.No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110, § 115, Stat. 1425
(2002).
Souto-Manning, M., & Swick, K.J. (2006). Teachers’ beliefs about parent and family
involvement: Rethinking our family involvement paradigm. Early Childhood
Education Journal, 34(2), 187-193.
Summer, M., and Summer, G. (2014). Creating family learning communities. Young
Children, 69(4), 8-14.
Taliaferro, J. Decuir-Gunby, J., & Allen-Eckard, K. (2009). I can see parents being
reluctant: Perceptions of parental involvement using child and family teams in
school. Child & Family Social Work 14(3), 278-288.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological
processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 24
Appendix AOnline survey questions
1. Do you volunteer at your child’s school?-yes -no -only when other parents ask me to -only when the teacher contacts me directly-Only when no one else has volunteered-other
2. What makes it difficult to volunteer and/or participate at your child’s school?-work schedule-I have younger children who would need care if I were to participate-I am not interested in the volunteering positions available to me-I participate/volunteer when my schedule allows-other
3. What types of volunteering do you participate in? -donating items
-classroom parent-attend PTO meetings-library volunteer-any function created by the PTO-other
4. Do you attend in a non-volunteering capacity at parent and family social activities held at the school?-only events held during school hours-only evening time events-only when they raffle off appealing prizes-only weekend events-I would like to but cannot due to my work schedule-I participate in every event regardless of time-I am always a volunteer at every event-other
5. Do you feel valued when you participate and/or volunteer?-yes
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 25
-no
6. If you could change one thing about parent participation at school what would it be?
7. What types of activities do you do at home to encourage and connect what is taught at school?-reading to/with child-helping with homework/projects-discuss school day with child everyday-create projects/activities of your own to accomplish with your child-other
8. Do you feel that the activities you do at home are your way of participating in your child’s school?-yes-no-sometimes-the activities at home are more for family bonding time-other
9. Do you feel your participation at home or your volunteering at school helps your child achieve more academically?-yes=applies to home based activities-yes=applies to school based participation/volunteering-no
10. Is there anything else you want to tell me about parent participation?
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 26
Appendix B
Interview questions
Principal:How does your school promote parent involvement?
Do you find it difficult to recruit and retain volunteers?
What do you see as the biggest challenge for promoting parent participation?
Is there a certain group (by grade) that tends to volunteer more?
What types of involvement do you value the most?
PTO President:How does your school promote parent involvement?
Do you find it difficult to recruit and retain volunteers?
If you could change one thing about parent volunteering what would it be?
Is there a certain group (by grade) that tends to volunteer more?
How do the parents know they are valued as volunteers?
Teacher:How does your school promote parent involvement?
Do you find it difficult to recruit and retain volunteers?
Have you noticed a trend in the past years of parent involvement rising or declining? Why do you think that is?
How much do you want parents to be involved? Do you have a preferred method (donating of items, reading to the class, homeroom mom, etc.)?
If you could change how the parents get involved, what would you do differently?
Do you encourage involvement in other ways besides functions at school?
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 27
Do you see a difference in children's academics whose parents are involved (volunteering to be at school functions) compared to those that are not?
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 28
Appendix C
Info graphic for staff development
Encouraging Parental Involvement in School 29
Info graphic for parent involvement