Family Contexts in Middle Childhood Academic Achievement

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How well children perform academically is based, in part, on their cognitive abilities, motivation, and engagement in school. Decades of research show, however, that parental interest and involvement in their children’s school life is also related to school achievement (Van Voorhis, 2000; Weiss, Dearing, Mayer, Kreider, & McCartney, 2005). Studies have illustrated that parental involvement is most effective when parents support their children’s academic achievement at home in the following ways:

• Managing and Organizing Time. Parents of successful students actively help them organize their daily and weekly schedules and check to see if they are following their routines. Regular routines at home are also related to better school performance (Taylor, 1996).
• Involvement with Homework. Making certain that homework is completed, discussing the specifics of assignments and papers, explaining the assignments, checking accuracy, and actively helping children complete assignments are all related to children's academic performance (Cooper, Jackson & Nye, 2001).
• Discussing School Matters. Children whose parents converse regularly with them about school experiences, both good and bad, perform better academically (ho & Williams, 1996; Steinberg, 1996).
• Literacy and Reading at Home. There is a strong relationship between literacy activities and opportunities in the home (e.g., silent reading time, numerous printed material) and school performance (Gauvain, Savage, & McCollum, 2000).

Unfortunately, parental involvement in children’s schooling occurs less often in working-class families and families in which mothers work full time (Muller & Kerbow, 1993). Also, parents with more formal education are more likely to be involved in their children’s schooling than parents with less education (Useem, 1992).

More important than family demographics, however, is parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of the roles they should play in their children’s education. If they believe that their involvement can affect their children’s education, parents tend to be more engaged in schools and at home (Hoover-Dempsey, Walker, Jones, & Reed, 2002; Sheldon, 2002). Research also shows that when teachers and schools reach out to families and make them feel comfortable and capable of promoting their children’s education, parents are likely to become more involved in helping their children succeed in school (Giles, 2005; Van Voorhis, 2000). Improved reading and math achievement, student attendance, and perceptions of the school climate by students and parents reflect this greater success (Haynes, Emmons, & Woodruff, 1998; Sheldon, 2003).