Research and Practice in Parent Involvement: Implications for Teacher Education

TLDR

Parent involvement research shows that diverse engagement strategies yield varied outcomes for students and parents, and teachers—especially in elementary schools—interact with six distinct types of parent participation. The study proposes ten teacher‑education recommendations derived from the literature on parent involvement. The authors find that preservice and in‑service teacher preparation offers too few courses and experiences on parent involvement.

Abstract

The literature on parent involvement in education contains many implications for teacher education. Numerous studies have established that different approaches to parent involvement produce various outcomes for parents and students, including different achievement for elementary students. The teacher's role, particularly in the elementary school, interacts with 6 types of parent involvement: (1) parent as audience, (2) parent as volunteer, (3) parent as paraprofessional, (4) parent as teacher of own child, (5) parent as learner, and (6) parent as decision maker. Unfortunately, the number of courses and professional experiences in parent involvement included in the preservice and in-service preparation of teachers is insufficient. 10 recommendations for teacher education are drawn from the literature.