Addressing Barriers to Parent Involvement …

1 Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents, All rights reserved Addressing Barriers to Parent Involvement resource Bundle I. Addressing Barriers to Parent Involvement resource II. References Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents, All rights reserved Addressing Barriers to Parent Involvement resource (Back to Table of Contents) What are some Barriers to Parent Involvement ? Barrier Example/Explanation Ways to Address Lack of outreach from the school Research has found that some teachers are hesitant to reach out to parents of color and/or working class parents because of an assumption that they don t have the time, energy, or interest to be involved1 (Kim, 2009). Learn parents communication preferences and the ways in which they would like to be informed of their children s progress. Reach out in a variety of ways - phone calls, email, mailings, in-person meetings, or social media (Epstein, 1995; Kim, 2009).

2 Unfriendliness or hostility from teachers and school staff Some parents are put off by a businesslike approach from school staff and want teachers who will listen to them and make time to hear and understand their concerns (Smrekar & Cohen-Vogel, 2001). Treat parents as co-educators who are experts on their children and have valuable input to share. Make time to hear and respond to their needs and concerns (Lasky, 2000). Lack of access to resources needed for certain forms of Involvement Examples might include transportation to attend Parent -teacher conferences, internet access to check a child s grades, or translation services for parents with limited English proficiency (Jefferson, 2015). Provide translation services for parents who do not speak English. Provide accommodations for parents with limited access to technology (Jefferson, 2015).

3 Limited opportunities to participate Schools sometimes claim to prioritize family Involvement but never ask parents for input, respond to their feedback, or involve them in decision-making (Wolff, 2002). Inform parents about ways to be involved, but also ask how they want to be involved. Ask for and act upon Parent feedback on your school and classroom (Wolff, 2002). Deficit-based conceptions of parents Teachers and schools operate with unspoken norms2 for what they believe to be appropriate forms of parental Involvement . When a Parent s behaviors fall outside of these norms, teachers may assume that he or she is disinterested in the child s education or unable to support it (Smrekar & Cohen-Vogel, 2001). Understand that parents may have different norms and beliefs about Involvement than you. They also may be engaged in their children s education in ways you do not recognize (Smrekar & Cohen-Vogel, 2001).

4 Belief that a good Parent is a compliant Parent When parents express disagreement with a teacher or question the policies or practices of a school, they may find themselves ignored, marginalized, or treated as a problem by the staff (Jefferson, 2015; Lasky, 2000). Suspend judgment and seek to understand the Parent s perspective. Ask yourself how you would feel if you were in his or her position. Acknowledge and validate the Parent s feelings3. 1 In this study, the teachers hesitance was couched in a fear of bothering or burdening parents who were already overwhelmed by other responsibilities. Researchers found, however, that this fear was based on assumptions and many of the parents were willing and able to get involved. 2 These norms tend to be based on those held by (and for) middle-class, European-American, two- Parent families (Kim, 2009; Lasky, 2000) 3 Furthermore, understand that parents may understandably have strong feelings or emotions about issues concerning their children (Conderman et al.)

5 , 2010). Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents, All rights reserved Addressing Barriers to Parent Involvement References (Back to Table of Contents) Barnard, W. M. (2004). Parent Involvement in elementary school and educational attainment. Children and Youth Services Review, 26(1), 39-62. Bhargava, S., & Witherspoon, D. P. (2015). Parental Involvement across middle and high school: Exploring contributions of individual and neighborhood characteristics. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(9), 1702-1719. Chao, , & Hill, (2009). Recommendations for developmentally appropriate strategies for parental Involvement during adolescence. In Hill & Chao, Families, schools, and the adolescent: Connecting research, policy, and practice. New York: Teachers College Press. Conderman, G., Johnston-Rodriguez, S., Hartman, P., & Kemp, D.

6 (2010). What teachers should say and how they should say it. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 46(4), 175-181. DeCastro, , & Catsambis, S. (2009). parents still matter: Parental links to the behaviors and future outlook of high school seniors. In Hill & Chao, Families, schools, and the adolescent: Connecting research, policy, and practice. New York: Teachers College Press. Delgado-Gaitan, C. (1994). "Consejos": The power of cultural narratives. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 25(3), 298-316. Dettmer, P., Thurston, , Knackendoffel, A., & Dyck, (2009). Collaboration, consultation, and teamwork for students with special needs (6th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill. Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/Family/Community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. The Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701-712. Epstein, J. L., & Sheldon, S.

7 B. (2002). Present and accounted for: Improving student attendance through family and community Involvement . The Journal of Educational Research, 95(5), 308-318. Fan, W., & Williams, (2010). The effects of parental Involvement on students academic self-efficacy, engagement, and intrinsic motivation. Educational Psychology, 30(1), 53-74. Galindo, C., & Sheldon, S. B. (2011). School and home connections and children's kindergarten achievement gains: The mediating role of family Involvement . Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27, 90-103. Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106-116. Gay, G. & Kirkland, K. (2003). Developing cultural critical consciousness and self-reflection in preservice teacher education. Theory Into Practice, 42(3), 181-187. Graue, E., & Brown, (2003).

8 Preservice teachers notions of families and schooling. Teaching and Teacher Education, 19, 719-735. Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Harvard Family Research Project. (2010). Parent -teacher conference tip sheets for principals, teachers, and parents . Retrieved from: Hauser-Cram, P., Sirin, S. R., & Stipek, D. (2003). When teachers' and parents ' values differ: Teachers' ratings of academic competence in children from low-income families. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(4), 813-820. Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents, All rights reserved Henderson, , & Mapp, (2002). The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.

9 Retrieved from: Hill, N. E., & Taylor, L. C. (2004). Parental school Involvement and children's academic achievement: Pragmatics and issues. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(4), 161-164. Hill, N. E., Castellino, D. R., Lansford, J. E., Nowlin, P., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (2004). Parent academic Involvement as related to school behavior, achievement, and aspirations: Demographic variations across adolescence. Child Development, 75(5), 1491-1509. Hill, , & Tyson, (2009). Parental Involvement in middle school: A meta-analytic assessment of the strategies that promote achievement. Developmental Psychology, 45(3), 740-763. Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Walker, J. M. T., Jones, K. P., & Reed, R. P. (2002). Teachers involving parents (TIP): Results of an in-service teacher education program for enhancing parental Involvement .

10 Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(7), 843-867. Huntsinger, C. S., & Jose, P. E. (2009). Parental Involvement in children's schooling: Different meanings in different cultures. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24(4), 398-410. Jefferson, A. (2015). Examining Barriers to equity: School policies and practices prohibiting interaction of families and schools. The Urban Review, 47(1), 67-83. Kim, Y. (2009). Minority parental Involvement and school Barriers : Moving the focus away from deficiencies of parents . Educational Research Review, 4(2), 80-102. Kim, E. M., Sheridan, S. M., Kwon, K., & Koziol, N. (2013). Parent beliefs and children's social-behavioral functioning: The mediating role of Parent -teacher relationships. Journal of School Psychology, 51(2), 175-185. Lareau, A., & Horvat, E. M. (1999). Moments of social inclusion and exclusion race, class, and cultural capital in family-school relationships.