Family Structure & a Child's Education

Numerous researchers have found a relationship between parental involvement and measurable gains in student academic achievement. Parental involvement contributes to the overall school-community relationship as well as the child's specific learning (Pena 42). It is the purpose of this essay to discuss the effects of the parental involvement in terms of three family structures�the dual two-parent family, the single parent family, and the father's involvement.

Study after study shows that the stable two-parent family is the ideal crucible for a child's future educational achievement (Hou and Ram 309). The family which has financial and emotional resources to devote to the nurturing upbringing of the child is the type of family that is able to devote engaged parenting, investments of time and attention, and genuine interest in the child's educational achievements. These are the families who are likely to be involved at school and at home, setting a positive example in terms of modeling interest in the community and interest in intellectual and cultural activities (Jones et al 197).

Simple economics are a strong factor. If both parents are in the home, the family is likely to have greater economic resources. Their basic needs are met and there is more to devote to the child in terms of encouragement in the area of schooling. During one year, the poverty rate for families headed by only a mother was 39.2 percent compared with only 7.8 percent for families with both pare

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there are ethnic factors in effect, creating a type of culture clash between the home and the school. The parent might be very interested but simply not know how to be involved. For some parents, looking over the homework and driving children to extracurricular activities is the extent of their involvement (Pena 42). Education may be very valued as a way to get ahead in life, but it is not modeled at home in terms of reading, intellectual discussion, or curiosity about the world. Some cultures, for example the Mexican American community, may feel that it simply not their place to interfere in the work of the school. They might view the teacher as the expert and leave the education to the school. Language differences may cause reticence towards further involvement. Even parent-teacher conferences can be excruciating for parents who do not comfortably speak English. Schools in bilingual neighborhoods need to plan according to the needs and interests of the parents and even provide interpreters, if needed, in order to engage parents as truly involved partners in the educational process. Pena suggests that parents can learn about a hierarchy of types of involvement in children's education, ranging from working with children a

Category: Psychology - F