Articulating Theories
Grand Canyon University: EDL-817
Articulating Theories
Research validates the significant role that parental involvement plays in student learning and achievement (Hoover-Dempsey, Walker, Sandler, Whetsel, Green, Wilkins, & Closson, 2005; Miksic, 2015; Wanat, 2010). A challenge for educational leaders is how to get parents involved at all levels of their children's education (Wanat, 2010). This paper will identify and discuss two valid theories of parental involvement in the learning environment, examine some organizations that support the theories and parental involvement, and lastly suggest ways an educational leader can use these organizations to further the collaboration in K-12 education.
Theories for Effective Parental Involvement
Two theories for effective parent and family involvement in K-12 learning environment are social capital and social influence. Both have enhanced parental and family participation in education which improves student outcomes (Coleman, 1987; Portes, 1998; Wanat, 2010). Social capital theory explains that there are two necessary parts to have social capital, resources and networks. These resources and networks are available to most educational leaders to entice parents and families to be involved in the education process. Rashotte (2007) describes social influence theory as changing "thoughts, feelings, or behaviors because of interactions with other individuals or groups" (as cited in Wanat, 2010, p.162). Social influence when utilized can motivate parents to be involved in enhancing education (Wanat, 2010). Now we will examine how both theories influence the learning environment.
Effectiveness of Theories as Applied in Learning
Social capital theory was first used by Coleman (1987) and Portes (1998). Social capital theory research when applied appropriately has shown enhanced student outcomes such as increased test scores, enhanced study habits, and increased college attendance (Horvat, Weininger, & Lareau, 2003; Perna & Titus, 2005). Some social capital research has shown social capital to be a deterrent to high school dropout and truancy (Perna & Titus, 2005). Another aspect of social capital that comes to light is for migrant families, these parents before they can participate in their child's education needs must have their social, economic and physical needs addressed (Perna & Titus, 2005; Portes, 1998).
Another theory effective to learning is social influence theory first used by Rashotte (2007). Rashotte (2007) states that people make a significant change in their emotions and behaviors by being around people that are nice to be around, like them, or an expert (as cited in Wanat, 2010). There are two areas of social influence, minority influence (Nemeth & Kwan, 1987), and expectation-states theory (Berger, Rosenholtz, & Zelditch, 1980). These work together to help parents get their voices and ideas heard. Parents when effectively organized and networked properly can positively influence school policies and decisions (Wanat, 2010). Educational leaders are more apt to listen to parents' suggestions for change when they speak as a group. These parent groups usually have a couple of influential parents and based on social influence these parents are expected to express the groups’ values. An educational leader could use these two theories and parental involvement models to facilitate parental involvement in the school (Auerbach, 2009; Wanat, 2010). Every local school district has organizations that use these theories to involve parent, families, and communities in the school system.
Organizations that Support Parental Involvement and Theories Used
An organization that uses social capital and social influence to engage parents, families effectively, and the community is the local Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). The PTO is a grass roots operation that operates under their own bylaws, and are only concerned about the local school and not affiliated with the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) (PTO, 2015). The money of the PTO stays local (PTO, 2015).
The PTO uses the theories discussed earlier, and they do that by welcoming families into the community and schools. Parents are more apt to be involved in the local school if there is a welcoming climate in the local PTO (Epstein, 1986, 2004; Hoover- Dempsey et al., 2005). This welcoming atmosphere is the start to building social capital and social influence between parents, teachers, and school leaders. Another aspect of social capital and social influence that spurs on parental involvement in PTO is teacher invitations to get involved which helps parents feels they are contributing to their children's academic success (Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2005).
Another parent organization that uses social capital and social influence to involve parents and families in schools is the School Accountability Council (SAC). Each SAC is made up of parents, administrators, teachers and staff. The Colorado Department of Education has mandated that all school districts in Colorado have a school district accountability committee with financial responsibility being jointly shared by the District Accountability Advisory Committee (DAAC) and the District Board of Education (BOE). Each SAC reports to the DAAC which reviews and recommends school improvement goals and prioritizes school funds spending (District 49, n.d.). The SAC is an advisory body that can offer recommendations, but it uses social capital and social influence to involve parents to have a voice in the school's processes and policies (District 49, n.d.) According to Epstein (1986, 2004), parental involvement can be enhanced if parents are invited to participate in decision making about school policies and processes which in turn builds social capital and influence. The PTO and SAC are both great ways to get parents involved in the K-12 learning environment, and that is enhanced by an educational leader that has prioritizes collaboration with these parental organizations.
Educational Leader’s Use of Parental Organizations to Further Collaboration
Effective partnership programs with parents, communities, and schools are vital to building better schools and improving student outcomes (Epstein, 2004; Rubin, 2009; Van Roekel, 2008). Furthering a collaborative climate with the PTO and SAC can be done by communicating with families about school programs and student outcomes through varied and precise ways (Epstein, 2004; Van Roekel, 2008). Some of these communication channels could be through town hall meetings as well as social media. To further collaboration and community building all avenues of communication must be in the parents' native language as well (Auerbach, 2009; Epstein, 2004).
Educational leaders could use PTO and SAC to extend collaborative efforts by making public schools more than just places of education. Mentioned earlier families need social, economic, and physical needs addressed before becoming involved in the K-12 system (Perna & Titus, 2005; Portes, 1998). Through leadership and collaborations with PTOs and SACs maybe schools could offer health care, fitness fairs, job fairs, and parenting skills classes (Auerbach, 2009; Berliner, 2013; Epstein, 2004). Conversational English classes to focus on improving reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension skills for parents that do not speak English (Auerbach, 2009). According to Auerbach (2009) and Berliner (2013), a school should be a place for a to gather and help build unity with the children, parents, caretakers, and teachers. A school should be a resource for its community, not an isolated entity (Berliner, 2013; Schmit, Matthews, Smith, & Robbins, 2013).
Conclusion
Research validates the significant role that parental involvement plays in student outcomes (Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2005; Miksic, 2015; Wanat, 2010). Getting parents involved at all levels of their children' education can be challenging for an educational leader (Wanat, 2010). This paper identified and discussed two practical theories of parental involvement in the learning environment, examined some organizations that support parental involvement, and lastly suggested ways an educational leader can use these organizations to further the collaboration in K-12 education. An educational leader using parent involvement models and collaboration can get parents involved and improve student outcomes (Auerbach, 2009; Epstein, 2004; Rubin, 2005, Van Roekel, 2008).
References
Auerbach, S. (2009). Walking the walk: Portraits in leadership for family engagement in urban schools. School Community Journal, 19(1), 9-31. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=42857675&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Berger, J., Rosenholtz, S. J., & Zelditch, M., Jr. (1980). Status organizing processes. Annual Review of Sociology, 6, 479-508. Retrieved from https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/154809/%2377%20Status%20Organizing%20Processes.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Berliner, D. (2013). Effects of inequality and poverty vs. teachers and schooling on America’s youth. Teachers College Record, 115(12), 1-26. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Effects-of-Inequality-and-Poverty-vs-Teachers-and-Berliner/9d179d15b47fca610e903bcef00f42141629aa6a/pdf
Coleman, J. S. (1987). Families and schools. Educational researcher, 16(6), 32-38. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3102/0013189X016006032
Epstein, J. L. (1986). Parents' reactions to teacher practices of parent involvement. The elementary school journal, 86(3), 277-294. Retrieved from http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/8298828/1001545.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1486939842&Signature=%2FQtVd7Krml06g9jx5%2Fdp9dUyZyM%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DParents_reactions_to_teacher_practices_o.pdf
Epstein, J. L. (2004). Meeting NCLB Requirements for Family Involvement. National Middle School Association (NJ1), 8(1), 14-17. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED496913.pdf
District 49 School Accountability Committee Overview (SAC). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://d49.org/Page/1159
Hoover-Dempsey, K., Walker, J. M. T., Sandler, H. M., Whetsel, D., Green, C. L., Wilkins, A. S., & Closson, K. (2005). Why do parents become involved? research findings and implications The University of Chicago Press. doi:10.1086/499194
Horvat, E. M., Weininger, E. B., & Lareau, A. (2003). From social ties to social capital: Class differences in the relations between schools and parent networks. American educational research Journal, 40(2), 319-351. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.843.9305&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Miksic, M. Y. (2015). Parent Involvement: Theory, Practice, and Head Start. CUNY Institute for Education Policy. Retrieved from http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://ciep.hunter.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Parent-involvementFINAL1.pdf
Nemeth, C. J., & Kwan, J. L. (1987). Minority influence, divergent thinking, and the detection of correction solutions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 17, 788-799. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/docview/613413870/fulltextPDF/4981859F97144E0CPQ/1?accountid=7374
Parent Teacher Organization. (2015, May 01). PTO vs. PTA: Differences at a glance. Retrieved from http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/705-pto-vs-pta-differences-at-a-glance
Perna, L. W., & Titus, M. A. (2005). The relationship between parental involvement as social capital and college enrollment: An examination of racial/ethnic group differences. Journal of Higher Education, 76(5), 485-518.
Portes, A. (1998). Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Annual review of sociology, 24(1), 1-24. Retrieved from http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/15926428/-annurev.soc.24.1.1.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1486844957&Signature=l9c5%2FJT%2Btd9YDlT2L%2BKeLqkx%2B0g%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DSocial_Capital_Its_Origins_and_Applicati.pdf
Rashotte, L. (2007). Social influence. In G. Ritzer (Ed.), The Blackwell encyclopedia of sociology, Vol. IX (pp. 4426-4429). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative leadership: Developing effective partnerships for communities and schools (2nd ed.). Retrieved from http://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/sage/2009/collaborative-leadership_ebook_2e.php
Schmit, S., Matthews, H., Smith, S., & Robbins, T. (2013). Investing in young children: A fact sheet on early care and education participation, access, and quality. Center for Law and Social Policy, Inc.(CLASP), 1-13. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED547124.pdf
Wanat, C. L. (2010). Challenges balancing collaboration and independence in home-school relationships: Analysis of parents' perceptions in one district. School Community Journal, 20(1), 159-186. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=52225370&site=eds-live&scope=site
Van Roekel, N. P. D. (2008). Parent, family, community involvement in education. Policy Brief. Washington, DC: National education Association. Retrieved from http://199.223.128.59/assets/docs/PB11_ParentInvolvement08.pdf
Michelle_Michy
articulating_theories.docx
