A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Employers, Families and Education 

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In a 1993 survey of 3,400 employed men and women, the Families and Work Institute found that the effect of the job on personal and family life was reported as the second of five top factors in accepting job offers. Many employees "without access to flexible time and leave programs reported that they would or might switch employers, trade salary or other benefits, or trade off job advancement to obtain them" (Galinsky 1993). The Fortune Magazine Child Care Study revealed that 52 percent of absences are due to family-related issues. In addition to family friendly policies, business involvement in education appears to positively impact business' bottom line in terms of employee loyalty and satisfaction, expanded human resource development, productivity, retention, and recruitment.
 
Cost/benefits: John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company found family-friendly policies resulted in a total savings of $573,860 for the company in 1994 (related to employee time, increased performance, employee retention, and to stress reduction/health care cost prevention); the estimated payback for every dollar invested in family-friendly policies was $3.83.

An IBM study conducted by Richard Barnes in 1994 demonstrated that, in many cases, consumers were attracted to doing business with companies that were doing something "good" for the community (Barnes 1994). The study showed that when moving into a new community, residents also look for "good" companies with which to do business. This evidence of a link between corporate social responsibility and consumer behavior has an effect on the corporate bottom line. A Council on Economic Priorities survey reported that 78 percent of persons interviewed had switched brands and altered their buying habits based on information about companies' community involvement. In addition, the International Business Leaders Conference determined that it is important that businesses be perceived as good neighbors; their involvement in education adds value to both education improvement and a positive climate for their businesses (Peterson 1997).

Increased recognition of the importance of employers' involvement in improving education and working together in partnerships with schools, families and community organizations has resulted in a national Partnership for Family Involvement in Education.  For more information, please call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

The Economic Reality

The home front has changed. Today, single-parent families abound, dual wage earners are a necessity for many families and parents everywhere confront perplexing choices about how to use their time and energy. This affects a large portion of employees; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 38 percent of the U.S. workers have children under the age of 18.

Another effect on parental involvement is the demanding and hectic nature of many parents' lives.  Employees generally, and employee parents specifically, are often "stressed out" because they are juggling many roles and responsibilities, working longer hours, frequently for less money, and faced with overwhelming expectations at both home and work. According to the Families and Work Institute, 26 percent of all employed parents work more than 50 hours per week (Families 1993).

It is not surprising that many parents experience what Secretary of Education Richard Riley dubbed "the time crunch." The Families and Work Institute (Galinsky 1993) showed that almost three-quarters of employed parents who spend more than 40 hours a week on the job also feel they do not have enough time with their children. In another nationally representative study, women were asked about how much they worried about a series of family issues. Overall, 51 percent reported worrying "a great deal" about families not having enough time together (Families 1995). When asked about their greatest family concern, insufficient family time was at the top of the list, even slightly higher than crime.

Parental Involvement

A newly-released 10-year study of 20,000 high school students and their families, conducted by Laurence Steinberg and funded by the U.S. Department of Education, found that parents have a powerful influence on students, as do peer groups (Steinberg 1996). Some of the strongest ways parents motivate their children are through attending school programs and extra-curricular events and talking with teachers.

The Steinberg study also found that many parents have become disconnected from their children's lives, especially during the teenage years. Although parents tended to view themselves as more involved with their children,

Parents' view about their role in their children's education affects their involvement in school. Some parents believe that school and family constitute separate worlds, that it is the role of the school to educate children and that parents should leave schooling to the education "experts," while the family's role is one of caring and nurturing outside of school. Yet, according to a recent student survey, almost half of older adolescents would like for their parents to be involved in their education (National Commission on Children 1991).

The 1993 Families and Work Institute report, The National Study of the Changing Workforce, examined how involved today's working families are in their children's learning:

Thirty years of research clearly show the link between educational achievement and parental and community involvement, regardless of socio-economic levels. In one study of reading comprehension levels in 4th grade classrooms, students with highly involved parents scored 44 points ahead of their peers whose parental involvement was low?even after adjustments were made for outside attributes, such as communities, classes and principals (Binkley 1996).

Yet many families are not fully involved in their children's education. This country cannot afford the educational failure faced by so many children. All children need support at home, in the community, and through their parents' employers if they are to be successful in school and beyond.

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[Introduction: Better Education is Everybody's Business] [Table of Contents] [Integration of Work, Family and Education]