Abstracts Category : Other

Increasing Family Engagement in an Elementary School

by Catherine Pearson Roy

Many students who receive Response to Intervention (RTI) Tier II support at an elementary school on the east coast of the United States seldom reach grade level expectations based on end of year assessments. Parents of students who receive RTI Tier II instruction often do not take advantage of the opportunities for involvement at the elementary school. The purpose of this qualitative research was to investigate the perceptions of 34 parents who receive RTI Tier II instructional services about what inspires them to become involved in their childs education at home and at school. This study investigated the opportunities for involvement, recommendations for enhancing opportunities, and how existing opportunities for family involvement meet the needs of families. This study was guided by Hoover-Dempsey and Sandlers model of parent involvement, which states that parent involvement influences student outcomes. Epsteins framework defines 6 types of parent involvement and Vygotskys theory states that learning is a social activity. A case study approach identified 4 themes: (a) parents preferred to communicate electronically; (b) parents were interested in getting expert advice on specific topics; (c) parents were able to identify problems with the current parent involvement opportunities and provide suggestions on how to make them better; (d) parents perceived community to be made up of the school, the parents, and the town. A policy recommendation was created based on the findings for the school to better assist parents in engaging with their childs learning. The policy includes home visits, weekly progress updates, parent training programs, electronic communication, and a public library-school partnership. This project study promotes positive social change by increasing family engagement at the school ultimately improving academic achievement.