The impact of parent engagement on learner success: a digest of research for teachers and parents

Abstract

Parents are a major influence on a child’s success in life. While the quality of schools and the nature of the child’s peer group matter significantly, it is from the home that young people derive lasting effects on their character, mindset and attainment. This evidence scan explores and synthesises current research into parental engagement in schools.

Full text

1
Headlines
Parents are a major influence on a child’s
success in life. While the quality of schools
and the nature of the child’s peer group
matter significantly, it is from the home that
young people derive lasting effects on their
character, mindset and attainment.
We should not be surprised that parents
have an influential role in the education of
their children. They are after all a child’s
first teacher well before the formal world of
education is encountered. And while estimates
vary, somewhere between 75% and 85% of
a child’s waking hours are spent outside the
influence of school.
Parent engagement in the educational
development of their children improves
attainment more than any other single
factor. Parents can help their child most by
having regular and meaningful conversations
with them, by setting high aspirations and
by demonstrating their own interest in and
support of learning at home and at school.
While research shows a clear relationship
between levels of parent engagement and
levels of student achievement, it does not yet
adequately describe exactly why certain kinds
of parent or school-initiated engagement work
best. As yet there is no handbook of parent
engagement.
But finding answers to these questions is
a major priority for national educational
departments globally and must be high on
the list of any school wanting its students to
become successful learners.
The impact of
parent engagement
on learner success
A digest of research
for teachers and parents
Definition of terms
To date “parent engagement” and “parent
involvement” have been used relatively
interchangeably to describe the range
of activities undertaken by parents to
support their children both at home and
at school.
We have adopted the term “parent
engagement” throughout this publication
to signal a more active and personal
level of participation in learning in the
home than “parent involvement” which is
often associated with school generated
requirements – for example school trips,
parent evenings used to inform on
student progress and social events such
as fairs and theatrical evenings.
By “learner success” we mean more than
just student achievement as recorded
in public examinations and school tests
– important though these are. We are
also as concerned with the development
of character strengths, especially
those dispositions, attributes and skills
associated with being an effective
learner. These are spelled out on the next
page.
“Family learning” describes all those
informal learning activities undertaken
at and from home by parents with their
children.
Small numbers in the text (ie UNESCO1)
refer to research study sources listed on
page 8.
» Somewhere
between 75%
and 85% of a
child’s waking
hours are spent
outside school
A brief history 2
What the Research Says 3
Practical Ideas 6
» Parent
engagement in
the educational
development
of their children
improves
attainment
No.1 Spring 2010 RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE

RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE THE IMPACT OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT ON LEARNER SUCCESS
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A brief history of parent
engagement
The idea that teachers in schools are solely
responsible for the education of children and
teenagers is relatively new when set against
the wide sweep of recorded history.
In the early pioneer days of most countries,
parents were their children’s only teachers,
along with other experienced members of
the tribe. Then, as human beings settled and
prospered simple one room school buildings
were erected or an existing space was
used for the purpose of teaching more than
just the children of a specific family. The
teachers were frequently local mothers with
skills and enthusiasm or perhaps a young
woman or man not yet set on an occupation
with a natural affinity for working with
children. Frequently school followed the
rhythms of life, open only when children
were not required for harvesting or other
work. Whether or not children went to
school, and for how long, was not regulated.
In the last two centuries, as schooling has
gradually become compulsory for most
people in the developed world, the roles
of teacher and parent have grown apart. It
was only in the latter part of the nineteenth
century, with the major expansion of formal
schooling in many developed countries, that
parent teacher associations began to be
created specifically to engage parents more
in children’s education in some parts of the
world.
But little more than a generation ago
parents were still being left firmly outside
the school gate and parent teacher
associations were more likely to be used to
fund raise for school extras and for charity
than to encourage learning in the home.
However, in the last few decades there
has been a growing recognition across
the world of the importance of engaging
parents. Often this has taken the form of
parenting programmes in areas where, for
socio-economic reasons, parents have not
felt able or willing to be involved in the
education of their children. Most recently the
role of parenting has been acknowledged
in legislation in the USA in 2002 with the
No Child Left Behind Act and, in 2004, in
England where similar legislation is known as
Every Child Matters.
Parent engagement for a changing
world
In a rapidly changing world, national
education departments all over the world
are recognising that successful learners
don’t just need good knowledge and
understanding (typically measured by
public examinations and school tests). Also
essential are the habits of mind, dispositions
and wider skills of effective learners2. Some
of these are listed in the box below.
Of course students require a level of
knowledge in a number of subject areas,
but increasingly students need to develop
learning skills that will stand them in good
stead throughout their lives enabling them
to adapt and learn whatever they need to.
With the advent of the Internet, “know-how”
has become at least as important as “know-
what”. For example, it is at least as important
to know how to find out what the capital of
Denmark is than simply to know the name
and location of one city from memory.
» In the last
few decades
there has been
a growing
recognition
across the world
of the importance
of engaging
parents
Some useful skills and dispositions for learning and living in the 21st Century
Noticing things Adapting to change Questioning Scepticism
Using learning tools Independent learning Collaborating Empathy
Problem-solving Persisting Self-regulating Experimenting
Being positive Using humour Practising Reflecting
Intuitive thinking Goal setting Unlearning Transferring learning

RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE THE IMPACT OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT ON LEARNER SUCCESS
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Better evidence
While there has been an increasing interest
in understanding more about the impact of
parent engagement on student’s learning,
it is only in the last thirty or so years that
such research has become more systematic
and reliable. This is partly because it is
notoriously difficult to disentangle the
impact of parents on children’s performance
from the many other factors which influence
the development of young learners, such
as social and economic context, the broader
family, peer groups, teachers and schools.
It is also because it is difficult to analyse
styles of parenting and kinds of parent
engagement precisely and accurately
enough to be sure of exactly what is going
on.
Three recent pieces of research are
illustrative of the kinds of robust studies to
which we have turned in this short paper.
The first came from UNESCO3 in 1997, the
second from the USA in 20024 and the third
from the UK in 20035. John Hattie’s most
recent and extensive piece of research
into all of the major impacts on student
achievement from New Zealand6 has also
been helpful. He is very clear, for example,
that parent engagement is more significant
in learner success than structural issues
(such as single parent families, for example).
Parent engagement helps to raise
students’ achievement
How well students’ achieve is affected by
many complex factors. So it is difficult to
disentangle the role played by parenting
set against, for example, the social class of
the parents or a good teacher. But through
longitudinal studies it is possible to analyse
data with statistical techniques in sufficient
detail to isolate the impact of parent
engagement.
In recent years research has made it clear
that parent engagement does make
a significant contribution to children’s
achievement7. Perhaps the most interesting
finding is the fact that the more parents and
children talk to each other about meaningful
subjects, the better students achieve; home
conversation really matters. Other studies
have shown how parents can positively
influence attitudes to, for example, science8.
One of the most influential pieces of
research carried out in the UK9 concluded
that when it comes to comparing the
impact of parent engagement to the role
of school: “Parent involvement [is] a much
bigger factor than school effects in shaping
achievement.”
Parent engagement helps to develop
more confident and adjusted children
While the potentially positive influence
of parents on academic achievement is
significant, parents also have a powerful role
in developing their children’s character.
A considerable amount of research shows
that three aspects of character are
especially useful for successful learning.
These are:
l self-regulation – the ability to regulate
emotions and remain resilient, for
example, not to be subject to temper
tantrums and to be able to survive
reasonable set backs
l empathy – being able to imagine things
from another person’s perspective, to
understand where they are coming from
l persistence – being able to stick at
things even when they are difficult10.
Various studies show how the development
of these aspects of character are influenced
by parents11. Socio-economic factors are
highly significant in this area – hence the
growth of parenting programmes for families
from financially disadvantaged backgrounds
across the world who generally have many
other challenges to face in addition to their
important role as parents.
It is also widely acknowledged that good
levels of parent engagement normally have
a beneficial impact on student behaviour at
school12.
» Perhaps the
most interesting
finding was the
fact that the
more parents and
children talk to
each other, the
better students
achieve
» Research
shows that
three aspects
of character are
especially useful
for successful
learning,
self-regulation,
empathy and
persistence
Key themes in parent engagement research

RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE THE IMPACT OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT ON LEARNER SUCCESS
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Parent engagement works largely
through the setting of high
aspirations and the shaping of a
young learner’s self-concept
In his review of the factors contributing
to student achievement, John Hattie
concludes that “parents can have a major
effect in terms of the encouragement and
expectations that they transmit to their
children.”13 And many other studies confirm
the central but indirect role that parents
play by shaping their children’s concept of
themselves as learners14.
This takes many forms, for example,
the setting of goals, the displaying of
enthusiasm, the encouragement of good
study habits, the valuing of enquiry, of
experimentation and of learning new things,
and the enjoyment of reading.
Of all potential parent activities, parent
expectation produces the largest effect
size with regard to children’s achievement15.
Generally, not surprisingly, it seems clear
that the greatest effects are achieved the
earlier they occur in a child’s life16.
The greatest impact from parent
engagement comes from what
parents do in their homes
While schools benefit in many ways from the
engagement of parents, it is what parents
do at home that has the greatest influence
on student’s achievement.
» Parent
engagement
works largely
through the
setting of high
aspirations and
the shaping of a
young learner’s
self-concept
» It is what
parents do at
home that has
the greatest
impact on
students’
achievement
Six factors which affect achievement
1 Expectations – setting high and consistent standards
2 Routines – establishing ones which promote health, well-
being and regular study
3 Opportunity to learn – creating a home learning
environment that stimulates learning
4 Support – showing interest, giving specific praise and
teaching social and learning skills
5 Culture – establishing a warm, cooperative, positive
environment
6 Role modelling – demonstrating the habits of mind and
behaviours of successful learners
A range of constructive activities at home
appears to help to create successful
learners17. These include:
lthe use of interesting and complex
vocabulary
ldiscussions about school progress
lconversations about external events
lencouragement to read for a range of
purposes
lcultural activities such as visiting
libraries, museums and historic sites
lencouragement to develop hobbies
lencouragement to question
lencouragement to try out new things,
and
lopportunities to undertake everyday
household tasks.
Monitoring the amount of time spent
watching television is important as although
it can have positive effects, its overall
impact is negative19. And, as has been
evident throughout this review, time spent
in the company of adults who demonstrate
their own interest in learning new things is
demonstrably helpful.
Different parenting styles have
different effects
Being clearer about how different kinds of
parenting affects children’s development
is notoriously difficult. Nevertheless,
some factors repeatedly emerge as being
important in the research literature20:
All parents are different and their homes
necessarily reflect this. However, there
is growing research evidence to suggest
‘tough love’ is most associated with
successful outcomes for children21.
Tough love involves setting and sticking
to clear boundaries along with a warm
and affectionate approach. Children
brought up in this way are more likely to
be self-regulating, cooperative and socially
responsible.

RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE THE IMPACT OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT ON LEARNER SUCCESS
5
Different levels and kinds of
engagement
Joyce Epstein, Research Professor of
Sociology at Johns Hopkins University in
the USA, has developed a widely cited and
respected typology of the different kinds
of ways in which schools can engage with
parents. See above.
Whether or not parents choose to become
involved in supporting their child’s school
depends on a number of factors including
their own personal and cultural experiences
of school, the nature of their working
lives and the degree to which the school
genuinely seeks to engage them in clear and
accessible language.
One other factor is significant, the degree
to which parents attribute responsibility for
the educational success of their children;
parents are more likely to be involved if they
see it as part of their job as a parent.
Some interesting tensions
The higher a child’s level of attainment, the
more likely parents want to get involved22.
Yet it is those doing less well at school who
may need their parents’ active engagement
most and those in the “middle” who may
not be realizing their potential. Parents and
teachers talk more when there are problems
not when learning is progressing well; this
may account for the perception, for parents,
that parent engagement means giving
support to children where, for teachers, it
tends to mean improving the behaviour of
students.
While it is generally helpful to encourage
children by the use of praise, recent
research23 has shown how important it is to
praise children for what they specifically do
(especially where evident effort is involved)
rather than simply for being “smart”. Praise of
the former kind is likely to promote a belief
that, with effort, anything can be achieved.
And a “growth mindset” of this kind lies at
the heart of every successful learner.
» Parents are
more likely to be
involved if they
see it as part of
their job as
a parent
» Recent
research has
shown how
important it is to
praise children
for what they
specifically do
(especially where
evident effort is
involved) rather
than simply for
being ‘smart’
Six types of Parent Engagement
Type 1 – Parenting Helping all families to have the basic home
conditions in place including active parenting
strategies and regular communication with
school
Type 2 – Communicating Designing effective home-to-school and school-
to-home communication methods which engage
all parents regularly
Type 3 – Volunteering Recruiting volunteer parents to help in school in
classes and in extra-curricular activities
Type 4 – Learning at home Providing good information to enable all parents
to help with homework and offer other family
learning activities
Type 5 – Decision-making Including parents in decision-making activities
to build a sense of ownership including being
involved in governance
Type 6 – Collaborating
with community
Finding and using resources from the wider
parent community to enrich school life

RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE THE IMPACT OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT ON LEARNER SUCCESS
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Influenced by the findings in this research digest,
schools might like to:
➔Have a clear understanding of what they mean
by “Learner success” (especially those aspects
which go beyond academic achievement)
➔Develop, in partnership with parents, a clear
strategy for parent engagement, including
regular activities under all the six headings
below
➔Hold an annual festival of parenting
engagement to highlight their work in this area.
Using Epstein’s framework (or something similar)
schools could:
1 Parenting
lUse the school’s web-site and publications to suggest
practical ways in which parenting for learning can be
developed
lHold parent workshops and offer home visits
lExpress clear expectations about time spent on
homework, on informal learning, on television, about
the use of computers and the value of reading to/with
and talking to their children
lEducate parents about child health and well-being and
the need for enough sleep
2 Communicating
lInvest time in establishing personalised
communications with all parents
lOn at least a half-termly basis, make sure parents
know what their child is going to be learning and have
some simple ideas as to how they can support them.
as well as web-support. Ideally this should be done
on a weekly basis in advance of the week ahead and
available online.
lIdentify and remove educational jargon from all school
literature and encourage all staff to speak to parents
in plain English
lMake it possible for all new parents to observe lessons
at first hand
lUse technology – e-mail, scanning etc – to
communicate as regularly as possible, ensuring that
they are often relaying positive messages
3 Volunteering
lAnnually survey the talents and skills of their parents
lOffer a range of opportunities for all parents to
contribute their time and talents
lClearly identify parent and teacher champions for all of
the voluntary activities run by the school
4 Learning at home
lProvide books and online materials to help parents
understand how best they can support their children’s
learning at home
lAlways suggest activities, beyond homework, which
families might choose to do to support classroom
learning
lHost sessions for parents about how children learn
lCreate an illustrated map of all the informal learning
providers in the area – libraries, museums, sports
centres, sites of local interest etc
5 Decision-making
lPut real effort into creating and supporting a
thriving Friends and Family Associations. Make
the prime momentum of these organisations the
encouragement of parent engagement in learning
lConsult parents wherever possible and always explain
their decision-making processes clearly
lProvide a range of opportunities for parents to be
involved in an advisory capacity.
6 Collaborating with community
lUse parents and local organisations for trips, special
camps and other activities
lBuild alliances with those parents who have specific
resources to share and with local community resources
lEstablish a programme of lectures, classes, workshops
and visits to enrich the school curriculum.
These are just a few ideas; there are many others
that schools will want to try out.
Practical ideas for schools

RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE THE IMPACT OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT ON LEARNER SUCCESS
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Influenced by the findings in this research digest,
parents might like to:
➔Consider the ways in which they can
demonstrate their own interest in learning
➔Make sure that they model some of the skills
listed on page 2
➔Invest time in having good conversations about
their child’s progress, about their own beliefs,
expectations and feelings, making sure to listen
carefully to what is being said!
Using the 6 Factors Framework on page 4
(or something similar) parents could:
1 Expectations
lBe clear about their high-expectations
lLook ahead and help their child to set goals
lMake clear their belief that all children can get smarter
and learn more effectively through effort and positive
thinking
lShow affection and warmth while at the same time
maintaining consistent boundaries of expected
behaviour
2 Routines
lSet clear routines for the time before and after school
and for weekends and encourage your child to be
involved in a reasonable amount of regular extra-
curricular activity
lUse mealtimes as opportunities to talk
lSet aside time to read with their child and to look at
their school and home work
lCreate space for their child to tell them when s/he is
under stress or worried
3 Opportunity to learn
lEnsure their home has lots of games, puzzles and
books
lMake sure that their child has a quiet place to study
lFind things to learn together on a regular basis, ideally
with parents sometimes creating special one-to-one
time with each child
lUse everyday activities, cooking, gardening, making
things, reading the newspaper to do things together
and get to know one another more
4 Support
lCelebrate effort and hard work whenever possible
lTune in to the way their child learns, providing hands-
on experiences where possible and also opportunities
to reflect
lTeach their child to practise – setting aside time,
setting goals, repeating the hard bits, watching
experts etc
lMake it clear that learning involves making mistakes
and requires effort
5 Culture
lEncourage their child’s questioning!
lNotice what their child loves doing and be on the look-
out for their emerging passions
lTalk about times when they are finding something
difficult and what they are doing to cope
6 Role modelling
lTalk about their own learning, successes, frustrations,
times they have had to persist at something
lTake the opportunity to share their passions and show
how they make time to do things that matter to them
lTalk about people they admire.
lThere are many other good ideas parents can use.
Practical ideas for parents
Advice on how to implement many of the suggestions in this list how to do this can be found in the
GEMS parent engagement website www.learnaspirebe.com

RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE THE IMPACT OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT ON LEARNER SUCCESS
8
1 Sam Redding (1997) Parents and
Learning. Lausanne, Switzerland:
UNESCO
2 See Bill Lucas and Guy Claxton (2009)
Wider skills for learning; what are
they, how can they be cultivated, and
how could they be measured. London:
National Endowment for Science,
Technology and the Arts and Guy
Claxton (2002) Building Learning
Power. Bristol: TLO Ltd
3 Sam Redding (1997) Parents and
Learning. Lausanne, Switzerland:
UNESCO
4 Anne Henderson and Karen Mapp
(2002) A New Wave of Evidence:
The Impact of School, Family, and
Community Connections on Student
Achievement. Austin, Texas: National
Center for Family & Community
Connections with Schools
5 Charles Desforges and Alberto
Abouchar (2003) The impact of parent
involvement, parent support and family
education on pupil achievements
and adjustment: A literature Review
London: Department for Education
and Skills (DfES). Another useful
piece of research is published by the
Department for Children, Schools
and Families (successor to DfES)
Alma Harris and Janet Goodall
(2007) Engaging parents in raising
achievement; do they know they
matter? London: Department for
Children, Schools and Families
6 John Hattie (2009) Visible Learning; a
synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses
relating to achievement. London:
Routledge
7 See Esther Sui-Chu and Jon Willms
(1996) Effects of parent involvement
on eight grade achievement, Sociology
of Education, 69 (2), 126-141
8 Rani George and David Kaplan
(1998) A structural model of parent
and teacher influences on science
attitudes of eight graders, Science
Education 82, 93-109
9 Charles Desforges and Alberto
Abouchar, already cited
10 For a good summary of the research,
see Jen Lexmond and Richard Reeves
(2009) Building Character London:
Demos
11 See Anne Henderson and Karen Mapp
(2002) already cited above
12 Alma Harris and Janet Goodall (2008)
Do parents know they matter?
Engaging all parents in learning
Educational Research Vol 50, No 3
277-289
13 John Hattie (2009) already cited
14 See Charles Desforges and Alberto
Abouchar, already cited
15 William Jeynes (2005) Parent
involvement and student achievement:
a meta-analysis. Boston: Harvard
Family Research Project
16 See, for example, Kathy Sylva et al
2004 DCSF/University of London
Institute of Education. The emphasis
on early intervention has been
reflected in the name of the new State
Department in Victoria, Australia called
The Department of Education and
Early Childhood Development
17 See Sandra Christenson and Cathryn
Peterson (2008) Parenting for School
Success Minnesota: University of
Minnesota Extension
18 See Bill Lucas and Alistair Smith
(2009) (2nd Edition) Help your child
to succeed; the essential guide for
parents. London: Network Continuum
19 John Hattie, already cited
20 This table is adapted from Sandra
Christenson and Cathryn Peterson,
already cited
21 See Jen Lexmond and Richard Reeves,
already cited
22 See Charles Desforges and Alberto
Abouchar, already cited
23 Carol Dweck (2009) Mindset; the new
psychology of success. New York:
Ballantine
About the Centre for Real-World Learning
Established in 2008, the Centre for Real-World
Learning (CRL) at The University of Winchester
aims to understand better the kinds of intelligence
that enable people to pursue real-life interests and
respond to real-life challenges. Creating successful
learners is a core interest of its Co-Directors,
Professor Bill Lucas and Professor Guy Claxton and
of the CRL team.
www.winchester.ac.uk/realworldlearning
References
This digest was researched and written by Professor Bill Lucas in collaboration with other colleagues at the Centre for Real-World Learning
About GEMS
GEMS Education is the largest private kindergarten
to grade 12 education provider in the world. It has a
global network of world class international schools
that reach nearly 100,000 students from 125
different nationalities. GEMS Education employs
9,000 education professionals, specialists and staff.
www.gemseducation.com
GEMS has a dedicated parent engagement website
at www.learnaspirebe.com