A review of research indicates that parent participation at the school site can have a significant influence on student achievement. The level of parent involvement in middle schools and high schools typically declines as students obtain greater autonomy and more responsibilities. Suggestions are offered on how middle and high school principals can recruit and actively involve parent and community volunteers at school sites to nurture the academic success of culturally and economically diverse community groups.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Becher, R.1984. Parent involvement: A review of research and principles of successful practices. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Education.
2.
Brown, D. J.1998. Schools with heart: Voluntarism and public education. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press.
3.
Burke, M. A. 1999. Analyzing the cost effectiveness of using parents and community volunteers to improve students’ language arts test scores. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California. Abstract in Dissertation Abstracts International A60/06, Z1915.
4.
Burke, M. A., and C. Liljenstolpe. 1992. Recruiting volunteers: A guide for nonprofits. Menlo Park, Calif.: Crisp Publications.
5.
Burke, M. A., and L. O. Picus. 2001. Developing community-empowered schools. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.
6.
Carter, S. C.2000. No excuses: Lessons from 21 high-performing, high-poverty schools. Washington, D.C.: The Heritage Foundation.
7.
Chavkin, N. F., and D. L. Gonzalez. 1995. Forging partnerships between Mexican American parents and the schools. ERIC/CRESS Digest. ERIC, ED 388489.
8.
Cloud, N., T. De Leon, J. Eugenio, R. A. Kimber, and S. T. Wu.1989. Multisystem system instructional planning for exceptional bilingual students. New York: Institute for Urban and Minority Education.
9.
Delgado-Gaitan, C.1990. Literacy for empowerment: The role of parents in children’s education. New York: Falmer Press.
10.
Epstein, J. L.2001. School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators, and improving schools. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press.
11.
Epstein, J. L., L. Coates, K. C. Salinas, M. G. Sanders, and B. S. Simon. 1997. School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.
12.
Epstein, J. L., and S. L. Dauber. 1995. Effects on students of an interdisciplinary program linking social studies, art, and family volunteers in the middle grades. Journal of Early Adolescence15: 114-144.
13.
Funkhouser, J. E., M. R. Gonzales, and O. C. Moles. 1998. Family involvement in children’s education: Successful local approaches: An idea book. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Government Printing Office.
14.
Henderson, A. T., and N. Berla. 1994. A new generation of evidence: The family is critical to student achievement. Washington, D.C.: National Committee for Citizens in Education.
15.
Karnes, M. B.1979. The use of volunteers and parents in mainstreaming. Viewpoints in Teaching and Learning55 (3): 44-56.
16.
McCaleb, S. P.1994. Building communities of learners. Mahwah, N.J.: Erlbaum.
17.
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. 1998. School-family partnership: A literature review. Available: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/pidata/pi0ltrev.htm.
18.
Sanders, T. W.1999. Urban school leadership: Issues and strategies. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education.
19.
Taranto, S. E., and S. O. Johnson. 1984. Educational volunteerism. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas.
20.
Truby, R.1987. Home-school projects that work. Education and Urban Society19 (2): 206-211.
21.
U.S. Department of Education. 1994. Strong families, strong schools: Building community partnerships for learning. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
22.
Valenzuela, A.1999. Subtractive schooling: U.S.-Mexican youth and the politics of caring. Albany, N.Y.: SUNY Press.
23.
Young, T., and F. Westernoff. 1996. Overcoming barriers to effective parental partnerships: Implications for professionals in an educational setting. The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students. 16 (Summer). Available: http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/jeilms/vol16/jeilms1612.htm.