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This review of the literature on parent and community involvement and literature related specifically to the middle grades was guided by three questions:
Context refers to the policy environment; trends and factors influencing parent and community involvement that include: diversity within systems, families, communities and economies; perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs; institutional settings; pre-adolescent and adolescent development.
Roles of parents and/or community members are described as: a primary resource in the education of their children through participation in home learning activities; supporters and advocates for the education of their children through site-based restructuring efforts at the local level; and participants in the education of all children through districtwide parent involvement programs.
Effects of parent involvement programs relate to the outcomes for students, parents, teachers, and schools and school districts.
It is around these questions that the conclusions, implications and recommendations for future research directions are made.
Successful middle grade school/family partnerships:
State and federal policies tend to serve other functions and are "top down." However, they serve an important motivating role through both the symbolic and real commitment to the partnership that they make.
The first step in understanding how trends and factors are related involves the development of a knowledge base. Through this knowledge base all key players (parents, teachers,administrators, and community members) can develop an understanding of the rich context in which successful parent involvement programs operate. Parent involvement programs should be designed to be appropriate for the middle grades.
All involved parties should seek to understand and value the diversity that exists within and between them. Varying economic, cultural, and social backgrounds should be used to shed light on circumstances affecting behaviors, beliefs and attitudes of students and home, community, and school partners.
The partnership itself should be viewed strategically, with constituents engaging in discussions designed to achieve consensus on valued goals and student outcomes. Parent and community members should be viewed as co-equals who bring valued expertise on their own children, family, and community needs; teachers and administrators should be viewed as co-equals who bring valued expertise on educational practices and strategies. Together, these groups can work toward achieving the same ends, that is, increased student achievement, positive climate, and other desired goals.
A variety of different practices, programs, and partnerships can be developed and implemented. One of the most promising is the creation of a home learning program. The research suggests that effective home learning programs use multiple methods for recruitment, understand local conditions and practices, and build on parent/family/community strengths.
As parents and family members assume a broader role in education, either by serving as advocates or partners in education or through decision making for restructuring, their information needs increase. To gain insight into the entire community of children and to familiarize themselves with many other aspects of schooling, they need to explore the literature on effective organization, instruction and assessment and legislative, financial and other constraints.
Any parent/community involvement program must have sufficient staff, funding, training, and planning to be successful. Linkage to other schools, recreational centers, social service agencies, health agencies, and other community groups serves a synergistic function, with the children as ultimate beneficiaries.
The paucity of research on parent involvement in the middle grades illustrates what little is known about programs and practices that specifically benefit children during these crucial years intheir development. Most of the research is descriptive in nature, so little can be concluded about direct effects.
Although more attention is being devoted to middle grade education, the knowledge base in both research and practice needs to be expanded. This knowledge base should include a broad range of possibilities that school personnel, parents, families and community members can play in working together. Research and practice should focus on how these roles are facilitated within education and community organizational structures, and how different groups will depend on each other as their members play various roles in building partnerships.
The sheer variety of family and community systems presents a challenge to partnership building, as do economic differences among the populations served by middle grade schools. Research should give us greater insights into these and other factors affecting partnerships: group culture and beliefs that influence individuals' perceptions of the schooling situation and their attitudes toward it; organizational barriers or supports to active involvement; attitudes of key players toward school/family partnerships; and possible resources, including training strategies and practice. Applied research can be directed to assist in choices of action that take these factors into account. Such action might include targeting specific resources and training toward parents, families, community members or school personnel; improving communication skills among participants or using various media as channels for communication; assigning additional school personnel to link schools more directly with parents, families, and community members; and coordinating services with other community organizations or agencies that work with children, families, and neighborhoods.
Research should focus on the challenges of diversity within family, community and economic systems as they affect partnerships; the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of key players; the institutional setting as a challenge to active involvement; the attitudes and beliefs of key players toward school/family partnerships; and resources and training. Strategies to meet these challenges are a worthwhile area for future study. These might include: dedicated resources and training for parents, families, community members and school personnel; communication; additional school personnel to directly link schools with parents, families, and community members; and coordination of services.
Short-term potential outcomes worthy of study include: higher levels of achievement as measured by standardized test scores; factual, conceptual, and critical aspects of learning; acquisition of new skills for parents and family members; linkages to the curriculum for parents/families and the community including decision making and about what students are learning, and helping students at home; leadership as a catalyst for school/family partnerships; changes in roles for all players; and implementation of successful strategies for involvement. Long-term potential outcomes that merit attention include: improved attitudes about schooling for all participants; the institutionalization of school/family partnerships and empowerment and increased self-efficacy of parents, families, teachers and other school personnel, and community members.
This research review shows that creating partnerships between school, parents, families and communities can provide a promising avenue through which education can be more effective in achieving its goals. As reform efforts continue to grow the education community should be encouraged to explore this potential to its fullest.
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[Study Aims and Study Questions]