Parental Involvement In Secondary Education

Secondary Education is an important stage in the school education ladder as it equips students for higher education and the labour market. Besides helping students to choose different carrier avenues, secondary education has a far reaching effect in developing a clear understanding on the socio-economic and political issues. Further it helps in empowerment of the marginalized communities and strengthening of the democratic values (World Bank, 2005). However, In India, for the past several years the policy and financial priorities have been more in favour of elementary education. Now that India has achieved a near universalisation of elementary education, it is important that it focuses towards providing quality secondary education to its growing

Parents are the child’s first and most important teacher in their life and it is expected to they play an active role in the school journey. Recent educational developments in many countries have shown a growing importance of the concept of parental involvement. Parental involvement over the past decade, indicates that regardless of family income or background, “students with involved parents are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enrol in higher-level programs, be promoted, pass their classes, earn credits, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behaviour, adapt well to school and graduate to post-secondary education” (Henderson & Map, 2002). Parental involvement is defined as the level of participation that a parent has in the child’s education and school. Many parents are tremendously involved, often volunteering to help in their child’s classroom activities, communicating well with their child’s teacher, assisting with homework and understanding their child’s individual academic strength and weakness. Unfortunately, there are also many parents who are not directly involved with their child’s education. Many schools have programs aimed at increasing parental involvement such as games and sports, home activities, and assorted opportunity for

“The idea that parents can change their children’s educational trajectories by engaging with their children’s schooling has inspired a generation of school reform policies” (Domina, 2005). The importance of parental involvement in schools has been supported by research revealing benefits for students and schools (Epstein, 1985; Fan & Chen, 2001; Grolnick & Slowiaczek, 1994; Shatkin &Gershberg, 2007). For instance, Epstein (1985) conducted a study on teachers, parents and students and found a strong correlation between teachers who were considered leaders in parental involvement and gains in reading achievement with their students. In other research, Fan & Chen (2001) conducted a meta-analysis of quantitative literature regarding parent involvement and student achievement and found a meaningful relationship. In addition, Grolnick and Slowiaczek (1994) found a moderate correlation between certain types of parent involvement and improvement in student