Contextualizing Parental Involvement Across Measurements, Outcomes, and Immigration Backgrounds

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Family and School Influences on Children’s Achievement

Abstract

Parental involvement has long been researched by educational scholars as a way to understand student success. Yet, the impact of parental involvement depends on how involvement is measured, how student success is defined and most importantly, which population is being examined. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort 98-1999, we find that parental volunteering in schools has the highest returns to numerous student outcomes and this relationship endures across 9 years of data. Although Mexican-born parents are more involved with their children’s education (i.e. attending PTA meetings) than most groups, they fall behind every other race and immigrant group for what matters most, volunteerism in schools and classrooms.

Authors

• Miriam Clark, Brigham Young University

• Craig L. Alder, Brigham Young University

• Michelle Body, Brigham Young University

• Benjamin G. Gibbs, Brigham Young University