Promoting Parent Involvement in Schools to Serve At-Risk Students

The recent educational literature and popular media reflect growing concern about deficient student achievement in the regular education system, a problem that has resulted in inappropriate classification of students as handicapped, as well as resulted in increased dropout rates. A wide range of variables contribute to school failure, including a complex interaction of home and school characteristics. For this reason, efforts to intervene with students who are at-risk for school failuer must include attention to the relationship between parents and school professionals. This paper reviews the literature on parent involvement, which shows that increased participation by parents in educational programs has a positive relationship to student achievement. Specific roles for parents are examined, followed by guidelines for promoting parent involvement.     

Father Involvement in Parent Training for Oppositional Child Behavior

Outcome literature (1981 to 1988) on behavioral parent training interventions for nonhandicapped children with oppositional behavior is reviewed to assess the extent and effects of father involvement in parent training. Thirteen studies were found that included some father involvement. Weaknesses of these studies include a failure to observe and measure changed in father-child interactions, a lack of emphasis on the impact of the marital relationship, a lack of attention to similarities in parental child management strategies, and a lack of assessment of paternal characteristics. Further research to assess the effects of including fathers on parent training outcomes can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of these interventions.     

Parent Perspectives on Family Involvement in Therapeutic Foster Care

There has been an increasing focus on family involvement in the treatment of children with serious emotional disorders, but it has received only limited attention in relation to out-of-home placements. I present the findings from a qualitative study of family involvement from the perspectives of parents whose children were placed in therapeutic foster care (TFC). Parents' perspectives on their involvement in placement decisions, relationships with professionals and TFC providers, practices related to family involvement, barriers to involvement, and strategies to enhance family involvement are described. Parents of children in TFC wanted to have contact with their children and to participate in decision making. They described relationships and practices that contributed to their involvement.     

Ethnicity and Language Contributions to Dimensions of Parent Involvement

This study examined ethnic and language group differences on dimensions of parent-rated and teacher-rated parent involvement after adjusting for the influence of family socioeconomic factors. A total of 179 teachers and 481 parents provided information on parent school involvement for a sample of ethnically and linguistically diverse first-grade children attending one of three school districts in Texas. Four groups were examined: White, Black, Hispanic-English speaking, and Hispanic-Spanish speaking. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported four parent-reported involvement dimensions (positive perceptions about school, communication, parent-teacher shared responsibility, and parent school-based involvement) and three teacher-reported dimensions (alliance, general parent involvement, and teacher initiation of involvement). Data generally supported the hypothesized ethnic and language group differences in parent involvement and the moderating effect of dimension of parent involvement on group differences. Implications for school psychologists are discussed.     

Therapist Focus on Parent Involvement in Community-Based Youth Psychotherapy

Parent involvement in the treatment of childhood disruptive behavior problems is a critical component of effective care. Yet little is known about the amount of time therapists are involving parents in treatment and factors that predict therapists' efforts to involve parents in routine care. The purpose of this study is to examine therapists' within-session involvement of parents in community-based outpatient mental health treatment. The data are from a larger longitudinal observational study of psychotherapy for children ages 4-13 with disruptive behavior problems and include videotaped psychotherapy sessions coded for the therapeutic strategies delivered as well as measures of child, parent/family, and therapist characteristics at baseline. Parent involvement is defined as the proportion of time in the session that therapists direct treatment strategies towards parents. Results indicated that therapists directed treatment strategies towards parents an average of 44% of the time within a session. Multilevel modeling was used to examine client-level (child, parent, and family functioning) and provider-level (therapist experience and background) predictors of parent involvement. Therapists involved parents more when the child had higher levels of behavior problems, when the parent reported higher levels of internalized caregiver strain, and when the therapist was more experienced. The results highlight potential areas to target in efforts to increase parent involvement, including training less experienced therapists to increase their focus on directing strategies towards parents.     

Parent Involvement in Rural Elementary Schools in New Zealand: A Survey

We surveyed rural elementary schools in New Zealand regarding their practice of parent involvement (PI). Interviews were conducted at 22 schools using a schedule which focused on eleven aspects of PI: policy formation, acting as a resource, collaborating with teachers, sharing information on children, channels of communication, liaison with school staff, parent education, parent support, encouraging parents into school, involving diverse parents, and professional development for teachers. Analysis of data from the interviews identified several common weaknesses in PI provision: a lack of written school policies on PI; the ad hoc nature of the organization of PI; minimal parent education organized by schools; minimal focus on parent support; minimal use of home visits; limited ideas to involve diverse parents; a minimal focus on involving parents of children with special needs; and, limited professional development for teachers on working with parents. Implications for improving the practice of PI in rural elementary schools are discussed.     

Family Involvement in Residential Treatment: Staff, Parent, and Adolescent Perspectives

We conducted interviews with staff members, parents, and adolescents at a residential treatment center to examine the frequency, nature, and satisfaction with contact between parents and adolescents and parents and staff. We also assessed perceived barriers to family involvement and possible solutions for improving this involvement. Results indicated that there is more contact between parents and adolescents than in previous studies. In addition, contact between parents and staff occurred frequently, although there were discrepancies regarding their reasons for the contact. Most parents and adolescents reported that the amount of contact was adequate, but the majority of staff members perceived there to be not enough contact. Adolescents reported that there was not enough contact with secondary sources of support, most often other family members. Barriers to family involvement included transportation, parent responsibilities and personal problems, and legal issues. In addition, parents reported that strained family relationships and problematic adolescent behavior interfered with their involvement. The need for residential treatment centers to broaden services to include parents as well as members of the larger support network is discussed.     

家长投入对中小学生学业投入的影响:有中介的调节模型

以北京市12所中小学的4160名学生为调查对象,采用层次回归方法考察了家长投入对子女学业投入的影响以及家长自主支持/控制的教养风格和子女的学业心理需要满足在其中的作用。结果发现:(1)中小学生的家长投入程度随学段升高而降低;(2)家长注重在家辅导方面的投入,在参与社区及学校活动等方面的投入较为欠缺;(3)家长投入对子女的学业投入具有显著的正向预测作用;(4)家长自主支持/控制的教养风格在家长投入与子女学业投入的关系中起调节作用,且该调节效应部分地通过子女的学业心理需要满足这一中介变量产生作用。     

A Longitudinal Assessment of Teacher Perceptions of Parent Involvement in Children's Education and School Performance

This study examines the ways in which parental involvement in children's education changes over time and how it relates to children's social and academic functioning in school. Teachers provided information on parent involvement and school performance for 1,205 urban, kindergarten through third-grade children for 3 consecutive years. They rated the following four dimensions of parent involvement: frequency of parent-teacher contact, quality of the parent-teacher interactions, participation in educational activities at home, and participation in school activites. As predicted, the frequency of parent-teacher contacts, quality of parent-teacher interactions, and parent participation at school declined from Years 1 to 3. Every parent involvement variable correlated moderately with school performance and parent involvement in Years 1 and 2, and accounted for a small, but significant amount of variance in Year 3 performance after controlling for initial performance level. Participation in educational activities at home predicted the widest range of performance variables. Results suggest that enhancing parental involvement in children's schooling relates to improvements in school functioning.     

Parent Involvement in School Conceptualizing Multiple Dimensions and Their Relations with Family and Demographic Risk Factors

Parent involvement (PI) in school is associated with more positive academic performance and social competence in children. However, there are inadequacies in current measures of PI and a need for a better understanding of predictors of PI. In this study, measures were obtained from a normative sample of 387 children in kindergarten and first grade from high-risk neighborhoods in 4 different sites. First, a confirmatory factor analysis of a theoretical factor model of PI identified 6 reliable multiple-reporter PI factors: Parent–Teacher Contact, Parent Involvement at School, Quality of Parent–Teacher Relationship, Teacher's Perception of the Parent, Parent Involvement at Home, and Parent Endorsement of School. Next, the relations among 3 specific family and demographic risk factors—parental education level, maternal depression, and single-parent status—and these 6 PI factors were examined using path analyses in structural equation modeling. Results indicated that the 3 risk factors were differentially associated with the 6 PI factors: Parental education was significantly associated with 4 PI outcomes, maternal depression was significantly associated with 5 PI outcomes, and single-parent status was significantly associated with 3 PI outcomes. No significant ethnic group differences between African American and Caucasian families were found in these relations.     

Inner-City African American Parental Involvement in Children's Schooling: Racial Socialization and Social Support from the Parent Community

Parents (n = 161) and teachers (n = 18) from an urban elementary school serving primarily African American children completed questionnaires regarding racial socialization, social support, and involvement in activities that support youth educational achievement at home and school. Parental reports of racism awareness, and contact with school staff were significantly correlated with parent reports of at-home involvement and at-school involvement. Parent reports of social support from the parent community were significantly related to at-home involvement only. Relative to teacher reports, parents reported more formal contacts with school staff, and higher levels of racism awareness, religiosity, and African American cultural pride. Teachers and parents agreed on school climate and parental levels of at-home and at-school involvement. The results suggest that racial socialization processes are related to parent involvement in children's schooling and that increased efforts are needed to bridge a cultural gap between parents and teachers in inner-city communities.     

Strengthening the Role of Unmarried Fathers: Findings from the Co‐Parent Court Project

While the importance of fathers in unmarried coparent families is a strong area of social and political interest, a dearth of community‐based interventions exists for supporting the role of fathers in at‐risk families. The Co‐Parent Court (CPC) was a 3‐year demonstration project evaluating the effectiveness of a collaborative intervention to support unmarried coparents establishing paternity and improving their coparenting relationships and paternal involvement in their child's life. A randomized‐control experimental design was employed. The paper will explore father involvement and coparent relationship outcomes.     

Exploring the Relations Between Parent Depressive Symptoms,Family Religious Involvement,and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: A Test of Moderation

Building on previous research, the current study examined the relations between parent depressive symptoms, family religious involvement, and adolescent depressive symptoms in a convenience sample of 74 parent‐adolescent dyads of southern U.S. families. We used hierarchical regression analysis to explore whether family religious involvement moderated the relations between parent depressive symptoms and adolescent depressive symptoms. Results indicated that family religious involvement did not have a significant moderating effect for adolescent and parent depression. Implications for counseling practice and directions for future research are discussed.     

Parent Behavior Importance and Parent Behavior Frequency Questionnaires: Psychometric Characteristics

This study examined the psychometric characteristics of two parenting measures: the Parent Behavior Importance Questionnaire (PBIQ) and Parent Behavior Frequency Questionnaire (PBFQ). Both research questionnaires are based on the parent development theory (PDT) and offer parent as well as non-parent respondents the opportunity to rate 38 parenting behaviors in terms of importance or frequency, respectively. The parenting behaviors correspond to one of six PDT parenting characteristics (i.e., bonding, discipline, education, general welfare and protection, responsivity, sensitivity); according to the PDT, these characteristics vary in importance and frequency according to children’s developmental levels as well as unique characteristics and needs. Psychometric examination of these questionnaires reveals that the scales have strength in terms of reliability and validity. Results are discussed relative to reliability and validity, the PDT, and current parenting research.     

Combining Data from Parent Ratings and Parent Interview When Assessing ADHD

This study examined different methods of combining data from a well established rating scale – the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (DBDRS) – with data from a well established interview – the computerized self report version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children for DSM-IV (P-DISC-IV) – when examining parent report of ADHD. These measures were completed for 80 children who participated in a summer camp for children with disruptive behavior. Results showed significant overlap between the two diagnostic measures but parent report on the DBDRS was more highly associated with children’s camp behaviors than was parent report on the P-DISC-IV. In addition, combining ratings and interview data using an “either/or” rule was more highly associated with camp behavior than was combining data using a “both/and” rule. Results suggest there may be little additional value of adding data from parent self-report on the computerized version of the P-DISC-IV to behavior rating data.