Parental involvement in education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of parents and educators on parent involvement in education. A 22-item survey developed by the researcher was given to parents of students in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades and all school staff at Mead Elementary School in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. The study asked how teachers think and feel about parental involvement in education, how parents think and feel about parental involvement in education, and how parents' and teachers' attitudes compare. Answers were then provided for the research questions based on the results of this study which are in Chapter Four, along with the results of the data analysis that was completed. The results of this study support the belief that parents and educators believe parental involvement does play an important role in a child's education. It was also confirmed that differences existed between parents and educators as to which forms of parental involvement were most and least important. For example, the majority of teachers found the items involving parents helping their children with homework to be essential whereas the majority of parents found it to be important. Another example involved the majority of parents expressing that rewarding their children for academic achievement was important, whereas the majority of teachers expressed that they were somewhat important forms of parental involvement. This research will hopefully be used as a tool to help parents and educators reach the common goal of assisting students do their best in education.