Understanding this issue is a challenging and, frankly, worrisome issue for a future teacher. Teachers are tasked with the responsibility of improving learning scores for standardized tests, schools as a whole must adhere to state standards, but there is a lack of control over what happens outside the classroom and during breaks and summer vacation. One cannot force parents to participate, and in the contemporary economy it is rare that both parents, if at home at all, are not working.
In addition, looking at a broader view of the cognitive abilities of these students, one finds that they are 12-24 months behind students of middle and upper-middle income brackets just a few blocks away -- same city, same zip code, same district, similar teacher backgrounds. The literature suggests that this is based on reinforcement opportunities in the home, which if not part of the consistent learning experience, will doom these children to always "being behind (Fantuzzo, et.al.,...
While not funded adequately, it is critical to ensure student success. Honing the program to different languages (e.g. ensure that it is taught in the major languages of the school) might help, as well as incentives that help the children become proud that their parent attended a session, etc. The value of the program should be regularly communicated, and perhaps there could be a tie-in with DSHS or one of the other social assistance groups to provide, say a class on First Aid, or Filling out Tax Forms, along with the homework and educational focus issues -- with the key being "get the parents participating a.s.a.p."
REFERENCES
Fantuzzo, J., et.al. (2004). "Multiple Dimensions of Family Involvement and Their
Relations to Behavioral and Learning Competencies for Urban, Low-Income
Children." School Psychology Review. 33 (4): 457+.
