Parent Involvement in the Schools


Parent involvement occurs in a variety of ways. Nistler and Maiers (2000) established a home/school family literacy program in the first grade of an urban school so that parents could see ways to contribute to their children's developing literacy skills. In a truly collaborative effort, the classroom teacher listened to the parents and welcomed them as equal partners in developing the program. The teacher modeled behaviors that would support literacy at home and encouraged parents to use literacy in a variety of ways, including reading, composing letters, keeping journals, and cooking. Parents eventually became aware of the value of their interactions with their children and confident in their ability to help children with school activities. Cline (2001) involved parents by arranging reading parties that freely distributed books, information, and educational supplies. Host families invited other families to their homes where they were able to acquire the knowledge and resources needed for creating a literate environment in the home.


Morningstar (1999) used home response journals to connect home and school in a kindergarten classroom. Parents recorded their children's interactions with language in a journal, thus enabling Morningstar to learn about each child's literacy development at home; parents and teacher became partners in assessing children's literacy. While communicating with parents, Morningstar also interacted with her students through journals and literature centers.