Understanding many facets of parent involvement
“Parent involvement” in relationship to schools has been consistently identified as one of the key factors in student success. But the phrase has a variety of meanings, ranging from making sure that students have done their homework to volunteering in the school to playing a part in school decision-making bodies or processes.
Joyce Epstein of the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University, has developed a widely used framework identifying six important areas for potential cooperation between families, schools, and other community organizations.
Epstein's framework is an approach to addressing the overlapping dimensions of family and school life, all of which are vital to supporting children as students.
The National
PTA has used the Epstein framework as
a basis for its “National Standards
for Parent/Family Involvement.”
These standards for effective parent involvement
programs point to positive practices for
all six types of family-school partnership.