Follow-Up Study: High School Students' Comments regarding Parents

Abstract In a previous study (see on Teachers' Attitudes Regarding Parents and Parental Involvement, published in Vol. 9, No. 2 of The School Community Journal), teachers' attitudes toward parents and parental involvement were examined. To follow-up and extend that study, students from the same school were asked to give their opinions about parents and parental involvement. The current study suggests that high school students do desire their parents to be involved in their education and want their school to take measures to create a more positive dialogue between the school and home. Many of the students commented that the teachers do not communicate with their parents. Students also indicated they would like to be a part of parent-teacher conferences. The students want to take a more active role in their school, but are limited in doing so. A startling revelation was the students' feeling that there was no adult on campus they could trust to go and speak to, nor did they feel there were teachers who cared for them. The findings indicate that students want their parents to be involved, and the parents are often involved with at-home activities. The students also want their parents to be involved in school functions and be in positions of power, including decision-making, on campus. This study may suggest to researchers and policy makers that students should be included when discussing parental involvement programs and policies. Introduction This study was conducted after a larger study was completed (Ramirez, 1999a), which included a quantitative portion focused on teachers' attitudes toward parents and parental involvement (Ramirez, 1999b). The previous study concluded that within the researched school there was poor school-home communication, teacher bias against low socioeconomic status (SES) parents, minimal pre- or inservice teacher training on parental involvement, and teachers desired a minimal amount of involvement from parents. Here in this second study, students' attitudes toward parents and parental involvement were examined, with the study occurring at the same location as the previous study. In the first study, statistical summaries were given on teachers' responses; therefore, for continuity, statistical summaries are included in this study as well. Preliminary examination suggests that students desire minimal parental involvement, but more involvement than the teachers suggested. Similar to the teachers, the students also reported a lack of teacher-parent communication. Many school programs have been introduced to improve school-home relationships and foster growth in parental involvement (Epstein & Dauber, 1991; Rioux & Berla, 1993). Although parents, administrators, and teachers decide what course of action is needed to develop programs, one important variable is often missing from the equation when any new type of program is instituted-the voice of the students. Creating programs for people who don't have a voice in the development of the program may contribute to miscommunication between the school and home, and ultimately a less effective program. In allowing high school students to communicate their desires regarding parental involvement, the students themselves may feel a part of the process in policy-making and more effective policies may result. Summary of Survey Data Of the 370 freshman high school students that participated in this survey, 175 (47.3%) stated they were in College Prep courses. The other students stated they were in either General Education courses, Vocational/Business courses, or they didn't know. The students formed a homogeneous group (90% Euro-American, 10% Ethnic Minority), and approximately half of the students were male and half were female. Setting The high school in the study is situated in a small university town in the Midwest. The population of the school is approximately 2000 students. …