Page 49 - iRead EL in Research Paper

Family Engagement
Parental Involvement in Education
Experts recommend family engagement as a strategy to improve reading performance and interest among beginning readers.
Research Evidence and Expert Opinion
Expert opinion consistently recommends e orts to engage families in student learning, noting that such programs and interventions “are linked to higher student achievement” (Henderson & Mapp, 2002, p. 25).
Research shows that students are eager for their families to be knowledgeable and active supporters of their education, and are more likely to be successful in school if they see their parents playing this vital role (Epstein, 2010).
In her empirical study of inner-city parent involvement (n = 2,317), Epstein (2010) reports:
Parents in all the schools in this sample are emphatic about wanting the school and teachers to advise them about how to help their children
at home at each grade level. Parents believe that the schools need to strengthen practices such as giving parents speci c information on their children’s major academic subjects and what their children are expected to learn each year (Epstein, 2010, p. 196).
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