Definitions of Parent Involvement There is a voluminous amount of research relevant to parent involvement and the degree to which parents serves as agents and advocates on behalf of their child’s educational experience (Barnard, 2004). The extensive review of literature helps confirm this work by offering credible insights into the manner in which parents and school have attempted to devise collaborative partnerships that facilitates academic success among students. While there have been numerous strides pertaining to the benefits of parental involvement in the literature, the definition and expectations related to the role of the parent and parent involvement are somewhat mixed (Howard, Tyrone, Reynolds, & Ream, 2008). The view of parent involvement as a broad, multi-dimensional construct is evident throughout the literature (Epstein, 1990). Some studies defined parent involvement as direct involvement at school while others defined it as including the involvement of the parents in regards to their education within the home setting. For years, educators and community leaders have attempted to define parent involvement as it pertains to parents actively participating in the educational process of their children. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) currently provides a definition of …show more content…
Parent involvement has been proven to have positive effects on the educational performance and success of the child and has been identified as a strategy in the war against poverty while reducing the achievement gaps displayed by children coming from impoverished homes (Barnard, 2004). It is well documented by the National Center for Statistics (2003) that the earlier parents become involved in the educational process of their child, the educational advantages for the child significantly increases (Vaden-Kierman,