Research and Articles

This page contains research and articles about the value of parent/caretaker engagement in the education of their children.

Leveraging the Potential of Home Visiting Programs to Serve Immigrant and Dual Language Learner Families
Migration Policy Institute Policy Briefs (August 2019)

A child’s first years are ones of exceptionally rapid growth, a period that can lay the foundation for school readiness and healthy socioemotional development. Growing awareness of the importance of investing in infants and toddlers is reflected in the spread of home visiting programs—family-focused social services provided in the home on a regular basis to expectant mothers and new parents alongside their young children. The federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, for example, has seen its funding rise since it was created in 2010, and many states and counties have launched or expanded their own programs.

Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/home-visiting-immigrant-dual-language-learner-families

Joint Policy Statement on Meeting the Needs of Families with Young Children Experiencing and at Risk of Homelessness
Policy (January 30, 2017)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Education (ED) released an inter-agency policy statement on early childhood homelessness.

Retrieved from https://www.preschoolinitiative.org/policystatment-1-30-17

The Importance of Parent Engagement: A List of Research and Thought Leadership
Mapp, Karen L. (2016)

In this article, Mapp lays out the Dual Capacity Building Framework for Family School Partnerships that she developed. The framework builds family capacity to engage in student learning, helping to create a welcoming culture for schools and families to work together.

Retrieved from Families and Schools together at https://www.familiesandschools.org/blog/the-importance-of-parent-engagement/

Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher's Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success

Mapp, Karen L.; Carver, Ilene; and Lander, Jessica (2017)

Mapp, Carver and Lander outline meaningful ways educators can strengthen ties with families and communities to maximize student learning. See how student and classroom success increase as family partnerships are strengthened.

Retrieved from: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/articles/powerful-partnerships.html

Parent, Family, Community Involvement in Education
NEA Policy Brief 11 (2008)

This policy brief discusses an updated, more inclusive model of parental engagement: school-family-community partnerships, to include parents, extended family members, and caregivers working in collaboration with business leaders and community groups in goal-oriented activities linked to improved student achievement and school success. Presents specific strategies to engage families and communities in education and examples of successful parent-family-community partnerships.”

Retrieved from: https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/resources/parent-family-community-involvement-education

School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools
Epstein, Joyce. (2001)

In this book, Joyce Epstein iterates that “although widespread support for parental involvement is reflected in current educational policies and practices, what this means is not always clear. Parental involvement includes a wide range of behaviors but generally refers to parents' and family members' use and investment of resources in their children's schooling. These investments can take place in or outside of school, with the intention of improving children's learning. Parental involvement at home can include activities such as discussions about school, helping with homework, and reading with children. Involvement at school may include parents volunteering in the classroom, attending workshops, or attending school plays and sporting events.”

Retrieved from “Parental Involvement in Education,” https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2309/Parental-Involvement-in-Education.html

On Whose Terms? Understanding Involvement through the Eyes of Migrant Parents, A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement
López, Gerardo R. (2001)

This study examined the ways in which four immigrant/migrant families inTexas were involved in their children’s education. The study found that these parents, whose children were highly successful in school, were actively engaged in supporting their children’s educational development, but in ways not commonly recognized by educators and policymakers. The study explored “alternative conceptualizations of involvement activity” and examined how the concept of “parent involvement,” as it is traditionally defined, limits the recognition of alternate involvement forms.

Retrieved from: https://www.pcsb.org/cms/lib/FL01903687/Centricity/Domain/204/Lopez.pdf

Building Successful Partnerships: A Guide for Developing Parent and Family Involvement Programs
National Parent Teacher Association (2000)

“What’s the most accurate predictor of academic achievement? It’s not socioeconomic status, nor how prestigious the school is that a child attends. The best predictor of student success is the extent to which families encourage learning at home and involve themselves in their child’s education.[1] When parents are engaged in their children’s school lives, students have the home support and knowledge they need to not only finish their assignments, but also develop a lifelong love of learning.”

Retrieved from: https://www.waterford.org/education/how-parent-involvment-leads-to-student-success/

The Impact of Family Involvement
Ballen, Jennifer, and Moles, Oliver (1994)

“Statistics show that family support for reading – including reading aloud to children – has a major impact on reading success. However, research has uncovered a variety of reasons why many families aren't as involved as they could be.”

Retrieved from: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/impact-family-involvement

WIDA Family Engagement Bulletin for Educators and Families

Wisconsin Center for Education Research, UW Madison (2015)

This WIDA Focus Bulletin is intended to raise awareness of the need for family engagement practices that take into consideration students’ academic achievement and language development. WIDA designed the resource for a dual audience—families and educators. They encourage teams of families and educators to use this resource as a tool to support their local family engagement practices.

Retrieved from: https://wida.wisc.edu/resources/family-engagement

Engage Every Family: Five Simple Principles

Constantino, Dr. Steven M. (2020)

This book, by Steven Constantino, outlines a pathway to engage every family, including those families that have been traditionally disengaged or disenfranchised. Follow the identified five simple principles for greater family inclusion: 1) Establish a culture that engages every family; 2) Communicate effectively and develop relationships; 3) Build family efficacy; 4) Engage every family in decision making; 5) Engage the greater community.

Retrieved from: https://drsteveconstantino.com/engage-every-family-five-simple-principles/

A Cord of Three Strands-A New Approach to Parent Engagement in Schools

Hong, Soo (2011)

Author and researcher Soo Hong offers a close look at the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, a grassroots organization on the northwest side of Chicago, whose work on parent engagement has drawn national attention. The study highlights how low-income, non-English-speaking parents become advocates, leaders, and role models in their children’s schools.

Retrieved from: https://www.hepg.org/her-home/issues/harvard-educational-review-volume-81-number-4/herbooknote/a-cord-of-three-strands_373

Equity Partnerships: A Culturally Proficient Guide to Family, School and Community Engagement

Clark-Louque, Angela R.; Lindsey, Randall B.; Quezada, Reyes L.; and Jew, Cynthia L. (2019)

"Equity Partnerships provides readers with a clear roadmap for effective family/community engagement that is built upon four essential principles: communication; connection; collaboration; community. It is informed by the lens of Cultural Proficiency to address inequity and lack of access by historically-underserved demographic groups of families and communities, e.g., African American and Latinx people, same-gender parents, and parents of children with special needs. The authors of this book, Angela R. Clark-Louque, Randall B. Lindsey, Reyes L. Quezada and Cynthia L. Jew, have a good deal of experience with this topic—both as professionals and as (non-White) parents. Moreover, they strongly believe that family and community involvement in children’s educations are fundamental issues of equity. Given their backgrounds, this book will also draw from the authors' personal experiences as education professionals and parents through the use of case-like vignettes."

Retrieved from: https://resources.corwin.com/cppartnership