Four critical parental supports for adolescents' educational success¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 5 claims (4 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 associational), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The brief presents a framework of four supports present when adolescents do better and stay in school longer: parents talking with their child about education and providing day-to-day monitoring of schoolwork; parents setting and holding high expectations; parents helping the child develop problem-solving and decision-making skills; and parents having knowledge of what their child is doing in school so that teachers and parents share a common understanding of the school's goals. Adolescents do best when parents play multiple roles as "teachers, supporters, advocates, and decision makers."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Parents need information and resources from schools to understand what they can do to promote their child's success

Constraints¶

• The extent to which parents play these roles often declines as students enter high school, requiring deliberate school outreach to sustain them

Target Learners¶

• adolescents in high school

Target Learning Objectives¶

• school engagement, achievement, and persistence through family support

Claims¶

• Parental Involvement Declines High School Transition [+M]
• High schools improving instruction and teacher collaboration also showed the largest improvements in parent communication [+W]
• Ninth-grade teachers report less communication with and academic support for parents than eighth-grade teachers [~W]
• Parents want more academic interaction with high schools, but schools focus communication on rules and problems [+W]
• Chicago high school teachers reported better communication and more positive relationships with parents in 1997 than in 1994 [+W]

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

• Provide parents with concrete direction and materials for supporting their adolescent's academic work at home

Key Sources¶

• Roderick, M., Stone, S., with Arney, M., Chiong, J., DaCosta, K., & Waxman, E. (1998). Changing Standards, Changing Relationships: Building Family-School Relationships to Promote Achievement in High Schools. Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/changing-standards-changing-relationships-building-family-school-relationships-promote