• Earn better grades
• Score higher on tests
• Pass their classes
• Attend school regularly
• Have better social skills
• Show improved behavior
• Be more positive in their attitude toward school
• Complete homework assignments
• Graduate and go on to post-secondary school.

Benefits to Schools
Schools with involved parents enjoy:

• Better morale among teachers
• Higher ratings of teachers by parents
• More support from families
• A better reputation in the community

Benefits to Parents
When parents become involved in their children’s education, the parents are more likely to:

• Be more confident at school
• Be more confident in themselves as parents and their ability to help their children learn
• Be held in higher opinion by teachers and have teachers expect more from their children
• Enroll in continuing education to advance their own schooling

When parents get involved early in their children’s education, the results are more pronounced and long-lasting.

The more parents are involved in education, from working with their children at home to volunteering to fundraising to decision-making at school, the better for student achievement.

One study found that students from families with above average parental involvement were 30 percent more successful in school than those with below average involvement. Success was measured by GPA; test scores in math, science, reading, and social studies; promotion and retention rates; and teacher ratings.

Sources of Parent Involvement Studies
There are many noted scholars who study parent involvement. Two of the most prominent, and among the first to quantify the benefits of involvement, are Anne Henderson and Joyce Epstein.

Anne Henderson is affiliated with New York University’s Institute for Education and Social Policy. She has co-written three books synthesizing the current research on involvement. The most recent is available as a free download: A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement. http://www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/fam33.html

Joyce Epstein is director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University. The Center oversees the National Network for Partnership Schools. Check out the Network’s website for information about its many involvement-related programs. http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/default.htm

The Parent Institute, an organization that offers products to help school administrators build involvement, has an eight-page, footnoted compilation of research online. You can get it here. http://www.parent-institute.com/educator/resources/research/research.php Quick Links 2 Hour Power Home Learn More Get Started Track Hours & Results Celebrate Success Download Tools Involvement Makes a Difference



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