Appropriate Parent Involvement in Education: A Research Proposal

Nicholas Fiedler

Dr. Shutkin

ED 100

9 November 2015

Appropriate Parent Involvement in Education: A Research Proposal 

I believe that parents play a very important role in the education of their children. Without parental involvement, many children would not have the opportunity to become educated in the first place. The abiding influence a parent can have leads students to achieve great things in the classroom, and even later in life. Especially as children grow older and become more independent, their need for someone to be a guide indicates a need for parental involvement in their lives. While I do believe parents should be involved in their children’s lives, I do not believe that parents should control their lives. 

In the field of education this particular subject warrants some disagreement as to the appropriate amount of parental involvement. Many times teachers often feel as though they are not free to do their jobs because parents are overly involved in the system. Between emails, phone calls, meetings, and conferences, where can a teacher feel open to instructing students in such a way that guarantees no parental roadblocks? This conversation is one worth having sooner rather than later. What is an appropriate amount of parental involvement? I believe that parents should be involved to some extent throughout primary and secondary school, but with specific limitations. 

The few instances of intense, unwelcome parental involvement certainly makes the topic of appropriate parent involvement problematic for teachers everywhere. How involved should parents be in their child’s education? What limitation should be placed on their relationship to the school? How should this be communicated to the parents? 

In an ideal world, parents and teachers will be able to communicate openly, and effectively regarding what is best for the students. This is only complicated by the general imbalance of current parental participation in schools. If it were not for my parents constant reminders to do my homework and give my classes by best self, then I would not be where I am today academically. On the other hand, if it were not for some certain parents, many teachers would not have a disdain for parental communication. 

In order to guarantee a healthy learning environment for students, a conversation must be held in order to strike a balance between parental involvement and teacher discretion. Furthermore, and appropriate means of communication must be established in order for transparency amongst all members of the educational community. I plan to examine these things in the analysis of my research.