Parent involvement makes a real positive difference in the academic success of children. In one influential academic paper, researchers noted that what goes on in the school itself is, of course very important. There is, however, a big “but” here.

As Toby L. Parcel from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University writes in the paper, “the evidence suggests that what goes on between the parent and child is much more important.” And then she added this: parents often “don’t realize how important they are.”  Given the importance of parents in the educational process and the need for them to understand their critical role, the real question then becomes how to shape truly effective parent involvement programs in schools.

There are many frameworks that lay out the power of parents in education but perhaps the most widely adopted framework comes from Joyce L. Epstein, who runs the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University.

In her book, School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools (Westview Press, 2010), she lays out her six-part framework that identifies the ways schools can involve parents:

1. Help with Parenting. Schools help provide parenting tips and support.
2. Two-way Communication. Schools take the lead and communicate directly with parents about their children’s progress, curricula, and programs.
3. Schools encourage parents to volunteer at school in various types of activities.
4. Learning at Home. Schools help involve parents in their child’s learning at home, including setting up home reading routines, doing homework, helping their children set goals, and other activities based on the curriculum.
5. Decision-making. Schools include parents as participants in school decisions, governance, and advocacy through school parent councils and improvement teams, as well as committee and other parent-oriented activities.
6. Schools help parents by using their resources and contacts and coordinating with community nonprofits, businesses, and cultural organizations.

Epstein also developed the establishment of “action teams” at schools that focus on parent involvement and family engagement. As she writes, “With a clear focus on promoting student success, the teams writes annual plans for family and community involvement…”

Epstein also notes in her work that parent involvement is critical for all schools but it is especially important in low-income schools. She says there are three things that schools can do to involve low-income parents in the school process: 1) contact parents more often and inform them about positive developments with their children; 2) work harder at involving parents who have been traditionally more challenging to involve such as single parents and those who speak a language other than English at home or those who work long hours; 3) overcome fears about trying to build positive parent programs.

Parent involvement is an ongoing process and administrators and teachers need to continue their efforts to build bridges to parents especially those who may not come from traditional backgrounds. Lawmakers are taking parent involvement very seriously. For example, in California, a recent state law links a school’s success to how it involves parents. Schools are held accountable on the funding they receive to meet the educational needs of English learners, low-income students, and foster children and their parents.