Arab adolescent students' participation in school advisory programs

Introduction
Social and economic mobility is a function of educational achievement. It is important to ensure that all children receive education in order to secure their future and that of the nation. The U.S. accommodates many immigrants from the Middle East. Several studies done in the recent past have examined how immigrants fare in the educational system. However, few studies attend to the subject of adolescent students from the Arab world participation in advisory programs for schools and the effects of such participation explicitly. It is not clear whether the results of adolescent participation in school advisory programs would necessarily coincide with the participation by Arab immigrants. Considering the consistent negative portrayal of Arabs in news media, especially after 9/11, the case of participation by Arab adolescent students may be different. Research shows that that discrimination suffered in childhood years can lead to negativity towards the educational system (Shields & Behrman, 2004). Thus, it is essential to review the effects of adolescent participation in advisory programs to help enable extend the necessary support to them.

Although advisors in the U.S. have somewhat limited knowledge about how to conduct advisory service with Middle Eastern students in the best possible manner, they work with adolescents from the Middle East. It is unfortunate that psychology, as a discipline, victimizes, ridicules, and castigates aspersions on minority cultures both intentionally and unintentionally (Ridley, 2005). According to Ridley (2005), psychologists are taught and subsequently adopt certain approaches that lead to unintentional racist innuendos in psychotherapy and counseling. According to Bernal and Sharrron-Del Rio (2001), Psychotherapy is a cultural phenomenon that is rooted in the white race. They claim that theories in psychotherapy include, inherently, cultural aspects and values that are antagonistic to those held by the minority. Pedersen (1999) suggested multiculturalism as the fourth psychology wave. These views were informed by failure to include minority cultures in conventional psychology research; leading to disenfranchisement by these cultures.

Disparities between minority and majority cultures are clearly documented in the U.S. They also cross into mental health services (Sue, Zane, Nagayama-Hall, & Berger, 2009). Since the number of psychologists from minority groups is small, it aggravates the problem further (APA, 2010) because of the increasing diversity of the U.S. population coupled with the number of adolescent students in need of advisory services. According to Guthrie (2003) both, psychologists as individual practitioners, and psychology as a field of practice have perpetuated racism and biases against minority cultures. The film industry has been the focus of several research efforts to determine how its negative portrayal of the people of the Middle East has contributed to the problem. Since bias directed at Middle Eastern people is common in the wider American culture, it is critical for the psychologist to engage actively in an effort to stem the trend by blocking the biases from entering the psychotherapy rooms.

Advisors need to learn the traditions of the cultures and the worldviews that deeply influence the lives of the people of the Middle East in America. It may be more important to understand Islam than other religions because it is the most stereotyped and victimized item of American propaganda. For instance, Islam states that women have separate rights from those accorded to their husbands (Sue & Sue, 2008; Sue, Zane, Nagayama & Berger, 2009). It is important to acknowledge personal bias when counseling a group from a different cultural background (Sue & Sue, 2008). Americans of non-Arab origin have little information regarding the workings of Arab culture. Mental health experts should engage these groups in order to help them gain a deeper understanding of Arab beliefs and lifestyles. Problem Statement As mentioned earlier, the majority of school advisory programs focusing on Middle Eastern adolescent populations lack a proper understanding of diversity. Students from the Middle East are from a diverse racial, cultural, religious, and academic backgrounds. While many are commuters, some are first-generation immigrants (Swecker, Fifolt & Searby, 2013). There is a need, therefore for advisory programs to develop comprehensive and appropriately structured academic programs to support success and deal with attrition. These changes may be challenging many colleges and other learning institutions.

The diversity of Middle Eastern Students has created a gap in planning and organizing academic advisory programs. It would be easier to address the gaps once they are discovered. Yet, the process of identifying such gaps is not easy. Bridging them is, of course, another challenge. Although advising students from the Middle East presents a unique set of intricacies, it is, erroneously, widely regarded the same as advising students from other regions (Vianden & Barlow, 2015). If advisors do not possess the necessary training to identify such differences and address them, both students and their advisors face significant gaps and challenges in the advisory program process.

The Middle Eastern adolescent group presents a set of unique challenges that are not included in the readily prepared advisory manual used in the U.S. school system. The religious, cultural, and social orientation is significantly unique. Such an advisory program, therefore, will yield different and unexpected or even undesired results from the Middle Eastern adolescent. The focus of this study is, therefore, to identify the experiences encountered by the Middle Eastern adolescent in participating in the conventional American school advisory program. Purpose of the Study This qualitative study will examine the experiences of the Middle Eastern adolescent student participating in the school advisory programs implemented in the U.S. The advisory programs contribute significantly to student success, development and the learning process (Kuh, 2011). Further, it has been shown that students learn better and more outside of the classroom. This study is guided by Astin's Inputs-Environment-Outcomes (I-E-O) model (Astin, 1991). This study will use data obtained from student surveys in schools to provide insights into how advisory programs affect the Middle Eastern adolescent student population's experiences. The study also seeks to help schools ascertain how to develop advisory programs that are sensitive and responsive to the needs of the unique needs of the Middle Eastern adolescent student.

This study will help understand the challenges of educational programs in accommodating Middle Eastern adolescent students and thereby, the challenges such students face in pursuing meaningful academic pursuits in the U.S. and elsewhere. Administrators in middle school will also find this study useful if they are examining the growth of their profession or reviewing aspects of their school advisory program. Further, it will serve as a useful reference in future researches on the subject of advisory programs and their effect on the Middle Eastern adolescent students. This study is also part of my academic requirement and its successful completion will mean advancement in my academic career. Nature of the Study The kind of study that will be implemented is an observational study. Observational studies provide the researcher with the option to collect data without controlling the actions of participants. Participants can participate or not and are given the chance to respond in the way they choose. One observational study examining the barriers correlated with educational attainment among refugees resettling as teenagers noted the lack of factors recognized that predict successful academic completion over time for refugee youth. The study stated the students faced socio-economic difficulties along with consistent discrimination. "Older refugee youth (on arrival) and those who reported experiences of discrimination over the first 8 to 9 years in Australia were significantly less likely to complete secondary school" (Correa-Velez, Gifford, Mcmichael, & Sampson, 2016, p. 1).

With the study connecting the experiences of students of Arab descent with academic performance, an observational study is key in creating a correlation between a potential cause and effect. Students of Arab descent experience great difficulties when facing a move to another country and existing within a culture that fears them or forms negative stereotypes of them. Not only may students of Arab descent have a difficult time successfully completing school, but they may also have problems forming their identities in a foreign land and culture.

Their identity negotiations and social identity salience (national, religious, and pan-Arab) were informed by transitional experiences from home to host country and the prevailing political and cultural tensions between the two, recognition of national hierarchy within the Arab community, perceptions of discrimination by the larger society, changed educational aspirations consequent to immigration, and current physical (school and community) and phenomenological contexts (Kumar, Seay, & Karabenick, 2015, p. 201).

It is therefore important to assess the thoughts and feelings of students of Arab descent to gleam a clearer picture of their experiences for successful advising and assistance.

The main means of data collection is through use of a form. Forms allow the students to participate in a way that is private and does not feel invasive. They can submit their answers and the data will be analyzed with software. Analysis in an observational study can use both quantitative and qualitative data. A cross-sectional survey is a type of observational study that allows participants to answer without interference from the researcher (Donahue & Benuto, 2013).

By giving the students a form, there is limited to no interference by the researcher concerning the participants' answers. This is at the core of observational studies. "Observational studies can provide evidence relevant to the understanding of the effectiveness of an adolescent health intervention. This generally occurs not through automatic use of complex statistics, but instead through a careful analysis and understanding of potential alternative explanations" (Donahue & Benuto, 2013, p. 305). The main purpose of observational studies is to give a deeper understanding through collection of data (mainly qualitative). Students of Arab descent selected from grades 8 and 9 will be able to deliver, through their responses, the kind of information needed to confirm or deny the research undertaken within the theoretical framework and the literature review.

The nature of the study will provide answers to sought after questions of whether certain factors like motivation can be affected by input characteristics like race, gender, or in the case of students of Arab descent, culture and ethnicity. Various factors may play a role in a student's academic performance. By observing certain outcomes taken from the form filled by student participants, the study hopes to provide the kind of information that can lead to a sound conclusion that supports the hypothesis and effectively addresses the problem statement. These are the aims of the study.

Significance of the Study

The significance of the study revolves around discovery of the effects of various aspects of being a student of Arab descent or a Middle Eastern student and its role in academic performance. Many students moving to the United States from Middle Eastern or Arab origins face discrimination due to perceived differences or reinforcement of negative stereotypes. Although not all students within this group have a difficult time academically, many do suffer from problems of identity formation, academic accomplishment, and feeling a part of the community. This study will provide the perspective of the student of Arab descent through participation from students grades 8 and 9. Their answers will help illuminate what kinds of obstacles such students face in school.

Many immigrant students in the United States face discrimination. A 2016 study examined the correlation between discrimination and academic performance and confirmed the experiences of discrimination play a negative role in academic achievement.

Discrimination experience and Affirmation/Belonging were significant predictors of scholastic competence, while Affirmation/Belonging was the sole significant predictor in Global Self-Worth. High levels of ethnic identity in the area of Affirmation/Belonging seemed to play a protective role in global self-concept in the face of discrimination (Tabbah, Chung, & Miranda, 2016, p. 319).

Advising can be a difficult task to succeed in as it relates to assisting immigrant students. If advisors do not cultivate the necessary cultural awareness and sensitivity needed to help students in this group, their efforts may be in vain. While all students experience some level of difficulty throughout their academic career, students of Arab and Middle Eastern origins face intense discrimination that studies have shown may have a detrimental effect on their academic and school choices.

Muslim and Arab students in an observational study showed less disparity in "the level of perceived discrimination in relationship to the percentage of same-ethnic and/or same-faith campus friendship groups. Post hoc comparisons revealed that Arab and Muslim students exhibited significantly higher mean scores on a perceived discrimination scale than other ethnic groups" (Shammas, 2015, p. 1). The result indicates there is a greater sense of discrimination Muslim and Arab students feel than estimated. Especially with the ongoing turbulent political climate of various countries including the United States, it is critical to successfully assess the mental state of Muslim and Arab students. This observational study will provide information and evidence both from existing literature and through assessing Muslim/Arab students that may further clarify the situation in the United States as it relates to Muslim/Arab students.

Other researchers may use information like in this study to continue to explore the existing situation of Muslim/Arab students in the United States and throughout the western world. As more refugees continue to exist and live in western countries, they face continued discrimination that may have a negative impact on their lives, especially as students. These topics need to be addressed in such a way that highlights the perceptions, perceived barriers, and correlations made by Muslim/Arab students in relation to their academic performance. Future studies may choose to understand how staff can improve their professional relations with Muslim/Arab students.

The first step is generating awareness. The second is creating a hypothesis and exploring such hypothesis through research. The third step is conducting a study. The final step is reflection and providing the results of the study for future use for other researchers.

Research Questions

Academic advisory has emerged as one of the most useful support services in the educational programs at higher education levels. It is not a subsidiary function any more. It is a mandatory program. It requires informed, cognizant organization and planning. To determine how Middle Eastern adolescent students, experience from advising services, this study endeavors to investigate the research questions below; Q1. What is the effect of the school advisory programs on the Middle Eastern student? Q2. How do the advising interactions of individual adolescent students affect their academic performances? Q3. How does the institution-based advising environment affect the performance of Middle Eastern adolescent students? Q4. What outcomes do we get from the school advising programs on Middle Eastern students; compared to non-Middle Eastern adolescent student populations, and what is the difference? Definition of Key Terms

Academic advising: This is a learning opportunity conducted outside the classroom environment for students attending higher education. Academic advising was treated as going beyond course registration process. The academic advising program was treated as a development process that aids students to link their career life with educational aims (APA, 2010). Adolescent: Young students of age-specific group preparing for high school after graduating from elementary school. Puberty in adolescent comes with a myriad of physical, social, intellectual and emotional challenges (Barlow (2015). Junior High School: Young adults that have completed the elementary school course. They are usually placed in grades 7 to 9. They are just about to enter secondary school (Allen, 2014). Advisee-advisor Program: A group of pre-arranged students numbering 15 to 20 that can interact to discuss social or academic issues in peer group interaction. The advisory programs can range from a daily, weekly to bi-monthly meets. Each child closely bonds with one adult advisor. Certified teachers and other professional staffs normally lead an advisory base group. Such terms as teacher-based guidance, advisement and teacher advisory are commonly used (Vianden & Barlow, 2015). Academic Dismissal: A failure of a student to perform in a satisfactory manner and is unable to meet the standards specified for satisfactory academic performance. Such actions lead to placement on academic dismissal. Poor advising and bad choices from students can lead to academic dismissal in college. Arab Descent: or otherwise called Arab identity is defined separate from religious identity, predating Islam. Arabs are in general, Sufi, Shia, or Sunni Muslims with 7-10% of the Arab population being Arab Christians. I-E-O Model: The core of the model has a basis of three components with five basic postulates. The three main components are inputs, environments, and outcomes. The theory was developed and published in 1984 by Alexander Astin. The model correlates academic performance with student involvement. Immigrant- a person coming to reside permanently in a foreign nation. Many people in the United States are immigrants. Theoretical Framework

Inputs-Environment-Outcomes (I-E-O) model (Astin, 1991) guides in this examination of the effects of advisory programs on learning through the development of students. I-E-O model explains that learning outcomes emanate from inputs by students, the environment around college, and the interaction between the two, i.e. student inputs and the environment around college. According to the I-E-O framework, advising is an environment because it is a service offered by an institution. Astin (1991) made a distinction between and within institutions characteristics. The between-institutions present the picture of an institution wholly. Within-intuitional environment characteristics describe sub-environments that only affect a segment of students. He went on to describe two types of between institutional environment measures. One of the types describes structural aspects such as the size of an institution, selectivity and control. The other environment measure type portrays an institution in a more sophisticated and personal way (p. 86). This includes the types of advisory services offered or a sense of community. Extant academic efforts demonstrated that the two types of institutional environment characteristics relate to learning outcomes of the students.

Student input measures in the I-E-O model such as gender, racial and ethnic identity, personality, socio-economic status, and academic preparation influence the attitude of the student towards advisory service and the services they seek from the advisors. Moreover, advisory services moderate the relationship that exists between the input by students and the outcomes from learning. Advising affects participation in educationally beneficial activities and aids students to connect their classroom experiences to the real world outside.

The I-E-O model also notes other input characteristics like academic ability, including measurable attributes such as interest in public service and political perspectives. I-E-O model brings into focus precollege environments (family) as well as college environments (peers, interactions with faculty) that are measured via number of factors of interest (Renn & Reason, 2013). These measurements help educators/researchers examine a multitude of outcomes and allows for a longitudinal perspective that follows a student prior to entering college to after graduation. The framework of the I-E-O model "considers the effects of both inputs and environments on outcomes, as well as the effects of inputs on interactions in the environment. It provides a framework for understanding some input characteristics have as much or more to do with outcomes" (Renn & Reason, 2013, p. 10).

Motivation is a key determiner in understanding choices from a student's perspective. The I-E-O framework offers examination of how input characteristics like social interaction and motivation for learning can interact within the environment; that may cause a student to make a certain choice like choosing a community college over an IV league school. These are important things to measure when attempting to understand behaviors and the overall narrative of a student's academic career. Understanding plays a pivotal role in advising and helps guide efforts in the right direction. The components of the I-E-O model follow an A, B, C triangle with the three areas labeled as Inputs, Environment, and Outputs. Outputs take the form out outcomes. Considered by many as a grand theory, it can be useful within almost any behavioral/science field. The goal of the theory is to explain, describe, and predict.

Literature Review The Issue of Students of Arab Descent i. The challenge of surveying children of Arab-American parentage

Adolescents from the Middle East face a number of challenges on migrating to the United States of America. Likewise, the mentioned group also poses a range of challenges. For instance, a high school focused study reveals that a generic program against tobacco did not succeed in WTS cessation among adolescents of Arab-American parentage. Thus, there is apparent need for continued research and innovative approaches in crafted interventions that apply specifically to this group (Primack, et al., 2014).

ii. Culture Shock

Given the different cultural setting for the U.S. and the Middle East, adolescents migrating to the U.S. are faced with the need for a cultural shift, hence cultural shock. This is a personal or social reaction to an experience (usually in an encounter between individuals of different ethnicities) that varies widely from the accepted normative. It may involve working in unfamiliar territory/regions for extended periods or facing your long-held values questioned; yet you have always held them as absolutes. Culture shock occurs in such scenario where these realities take form but one is still expected to function optimally. On their part, international students often experience culture shock through language, the style of communication used in the new school, food or even dressing style (Heyn, 2013).

iii. Need for Assistance Related to Religion

Muslim and Arab students at UC have experienced a lot of global attention by extension because such attention is directed at certain Muslim communities across the globe. The interest in Islam has not eluded universities and their campuses. The Muslims in these institutions have become ever more visible. Many incidents of discriminatory treatment against Muslims, Arabs and those of Arab origin, Sikhs, and people of South Asian decent have been observed since the 9/11 incident. Thus, xenophobia and Islamophobia have become prevalent in American society. Such context extends beyond the universities and college campuses (Turk, Senzaki, Howard, & Rowther, 2012).

iv. Gender Equality Issues

The journey towards getting rid of gender disparity has been winding and slow. Analysts have continued to lobby for the start of specific programs to fill the gender gaps in academics across school and college institutions and universities. According to a UNESCO report on the middle East (released in 2012), it has been a challenge for most of the Arab countries to achieve equal participation for both girls and boys in primary and secondary level education. The demand, among females, for secondary and university education in America has been on the rise. Most of these students wish to get their education in foreign destinations in America, Asia, and Europe (ICEF, 2014).

v. Cross-culture Interaction

To overcome culture shock and adapt to the new, it's essential that students understand how to interact across culture. Al-Nawar seeks to help her students understand the relationship between international terrorism and learning by quoting Fuller's study "Taking Terrorism into the Classroom." Fuller's observations are derived from the role-playing devised to examine the new stereotypes by the people from the Middle East. Such initiatives are apparently aimed at answering to the queries raised by increased coverage by the media on the subject of terrorism. According to the study, learners opened up after a couple of team activities and exercises. They could see how the media had influenced their assumptions about learners from other countries in the past.

vi. School Environment and Language

The culture of the Middle East demands that school aged children respect teachers. Such teachers also hold absolute authority over their learners. The learners are expected to work as hard as they can towards meeting performance standards expected. Learning is restricted to the curriculum content. Learners are usually given individual assignments as opposed to group tasks. This aspect of their culture and learning poses a challenge to students from the Middle East that seeks admissions in western institutions. They often encounter communication and problem solving challenges. Despite sharing many common cultural and social aspects, there are still some differences that are observed among Middle Eastern countries with respect to teaching and learning. It has been noted that such differences are based more on socio-economic status (Aghajanian & Cong, 2012).

vii. Advisory Participation in American Schools

Keeping healthy weight involves several factors. Observing dietary advice and regular exercise ensures healthy weight. It is of concern, though, that less than 25% of adolescents get enough fruit and vegetable in their diet. Reports also reveal that 65% of secondary students cannot meet the recommended physical exercise requirements. There is an urgent need to start School Health Council. It will help realize the health objectives of the school and promoting healthy eating and regular exercise. There is need for active participation in the implementation of the District and school programs of priority. An effective School Health program ensures organized courses, policies, services, and interventions that meet all students' needs (Centers for Diseae Control, 2013).

viii. Research on Schools Climate

Studies on school climate have increased over the past century. Evidence-based improvement programs for schools on the aspect of providing a conducive school environment have been a central drive in efforts by several government and private entities including the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Educational Sciences, education ministries of foreign countries and UNICEF. These strategies are aimed at students, school personnel, parents, and guardians. These groups are encouraged to work together to provide a supportive environment for learning (Thapa, Cohen, Guffey, & D'Allessandro, 2013).

Summary

The literature reviewed here, reveals that international students of Saudi Arabian origin studying in USA face numerous challenges. The challenges start from just being a foreign student in the U.S. Others include communication barriers of language, loneliness, homesickness, ill health, academic challenges and culture shock. Furthermore, these Saudi Arabian students encounter other problems. In particular the negative perceptions help by some Americans and propagated by media with regard to Islam are real issues that need due consideration. In addition, the numerous differences between Americans and Saudi Arabians make it worse for such foreign students. The 9/11 incident complicated matters for foreign students of Arab and Islamic origin (Heyn, 2013). Scope for Advisory Participation groups i. Co-operation with Student's Parents

In order to understand the school performances of minority children, education experts need to appreciate their literacy experiences in the early years before the start of formal schooling. Poor and young immigrant families rely on resources from public institutions to meet their needs. There is need for education experts to explore close collaboration with such families and the public institutions in order to provide quality education that considers the challenges that children from poor backgrounds and those of immigrant status encounter. Moreover, the selection of books by teachers should aim at sharing and pursuing discussions and instructional activities that are meaningful with the children. The teaching of writing and reading skills in early literacy classes should be focused and purposeful. Teachers are challenged to assist the children to develop their understanding and make use of language removed from context. This will help them to catch up with peers in subject areas of academic nature (Aghajanian & Cong, 2012).

There is need to establish partnerships between educators, educators and the affected children in order to communicate the needs of the children clearly. Consequently, educators will succeed as cultural brokers for the children. There is, thus need for the parents of immigrant children to become involved the education of their children both at home and at school. Spending time with children as they work on their homework, overseeing their TV watching sessions, for the educated parents is quite helpful. Further, parents can volunteer at school, take part in activities and interact more with the teachers of their children. Such involvement; although it is clearly a challenge to low income groups, with be instrumental in staving off political undercurrents that negatively affect children of immigrant and low income backgrounds (Aghajanian & Cong, 2012).

ii. Future of Community-Based Participatory Research projects

Many youth related programs are commonly called CBPR. However, many of the research studies conducted rarely involve the youth. Most of the studies partner with communities and adult people to address youth related issues. Owing to the fact that CBPR is a relatively new research approach and has yet to gain as wide acceptance among research peers at par with other conventional approaches, it is critical to maintain its definition as being, primarily, a participatory approach that involves engagement and collaboration in decision-making. Researchers that have had a chance to work with the youth have pointed out time and effort constraints; however, state that the benefits are far more than the losses/ costs in both quality of research and eventual empowerment of the youth. Research studies have demonstrated the benefits of involving the youth in every stage of the research process (Farrah, Vaughn, & Wagner, 2012).

iii. Need for Youth Centered Approaches

Many of the conversations regarding the well-being of the youth are aimed at reforming systems. The conversations touch on such issues as how the juvenile justice system and the child welfare collaborate to support the youth in transition, how the juvenile justice system can help prevent crime by the youth, how the school system can be improved to enhance engagement and similar discussions (Mcneely & Blanchard, 2014).

The efforts to work across the systems that are already in place are impressive. However, all of them focus on systems. Consequently, their configuration is restricted to assumptions and expertise on specific systems. Yet, the real focus should be the people and the needs for development. This paper is a guide anchored on the needs of the youth. Over time, the forum for Youth Investment has changed from using such terms as youth development and adolescent development. We discovered that decision-makers are interested more in the results than in the research process; particularly on the subject of youth and teens, generally. When we pointed out that leaders needed to leverage the resources spent on such youth problems as early pregnancies, violence and school dropouts we stated one simple goal of seeking to ensure that all youth are ready for life by the age of 21 (Mcneely & Blanchard, 2014). Role of Involvement from Parents as External Stakeholders The involvement of parents means committing time and resources to academic pursuits of their children. Parents can be involved in the six following ways (Murray, et al., 2014):

a. Establishing environments that support learning at home b. Effective and productive between school and home c. Supporting students and helping the school d. Home learning e. Taking part in decision-making at school f. Collaborating with other stakeholders including school staff, community and students These activities are usually grouped into two categories, i.e. home-based and school-based involvement. The home-based activities are linked to the education of children outside the school environment. Such activities may have a close association with school work. They may even include assisting children with homework, talking about issues that concern them, the choices that children make and responding to the academic preferences of those children.

Barriers and Facilitators to Parent Involvement The factors that influence parents to get involved in their children's education and life are of importance. The model by Hoover Dempsey and Sandler, which describes the process of parent involvement, points out the specific factors that influence parents to participate. It also explores how these contribute to the various forms of parent involvement. According to Hoover Dempsey and Sandler, the decision by parents to become involved is caused by three motivational factors:

a. Motivational beliefs, b. The life context of the parents c. The perception by parents of the invitation to be involved Summary

The review of literature based on the barriers and facilitators of involvement by parents is organized around these three aspects. According to research, African-American parents; particularly the ones from of low socioeconomic stature are likely to experience greater barriers to involvement than the ones of higher socio-economic status. There is a salient race angle because this contrast is drawn against white parents. Thus, the salient race factor can be an important influence in shaping the involvement by parents. Further, the literature review highlights studies in which the perception of parents may play an influencing role in the involvement of parents. Such inclusion aligns to the Critical Race Theory that embraces the view that racism is endemic among Americans. CRT has been applied in the analysis of aspects of education including curriculum and instruction via a window that notices the pervasive level of racism in the school system. It, thus, seeks to explore how such racism shapes the policies developed by school's involvement. Advisory Participation and Policy Implications If a school intends to build a strong relationship between educators and the management and the parents, practical steps must be taken to promote the school invitations for the involvement by such parents. There is need, in some circumstanced to develop SBPI strategies to deal with the barriers that may be encountered because of the personal life context of the parents. Schools, could, for instance put to affect, the reliable and time-sensitive communication approaches. They could make use of social media, or texting services. They could schedule meetings with parents and solicit the views of the parents on ways to overcome work-related and scheduling challenges. Other stakeholders in the school can also play a positive role in fostering a good parent-teacher relationship. Counselors, administrative staff, and social workers should actively encourage such engagement. Their involvement has multiple benefits. They could educate school staff and other on the construction of positive role and other relevant aspects, such as accessing resources in the social networks and problem-solving techniques that parents can add to the process of collaboration. Additionally, such professionals can encourage parents to visit through their friendliness and taking them through SBPI chances and consequently enhancing the positive elements of the school environment. Providing information forums to school safety and improvement efforts is a good way of tackling the disturbing concern by parents about the increased incidence of violence in schools. Activities geared at promoting community building, positive interaction with schools and sharing goals are necessary to mitigate the fears by parents about the negative interaction with fellow parents and students (Murray, et al., 2014).

Relation Between Parental Involvement and Child Growth It has been documented that children who show negative behavior in their childhood are prone to developing these behaviors when they grow older. They stand a high risk of attaining negative outcomes for the long-term. Such behavior includes antisocial mannerisms in adolescence and on to adulthood. Such problematic behavior early in the affected child's life including a short attention span, externalizing, internalizing and hyperactivity, being unable to stay calm, emotional challenges and a negative attitude are indicators of lower achievement in academics in future and progress issues during adolescence. The outcome may be the source of the needed information with regard to parental involvement because it is related to the domains of internalizing, externalizing and hyperactivity conduct. The parental involvement idea could help ADEC to focus on strategies to improve parental involvement and the three main behavior domains (Badri, Al Quabaisi, Al Rashedi, & Yang, 2014).

Signs of aggression in children show as restlessness or anxiety. They increase at the onset of schoolings. Therefore, challenges that face children as they begin their KG experience needs focused management initiatives. The children need to be empowered to cope with transition comfortably or relatively, easily. Parents should encourage their children to engage with peers and adults positively so as to deal and cope with frustrations and the restrictions they encounter. Effective parental involvement helps children to develop self-confidence and a chance to attain success when experimenting with new initiatives and handling unforeseen incidences, happenings, and practices. When children are guided on how to take charge of their emotions and behaving in ways that are acceptable, including being considerate and avoiding to hurt others, they have a greater chance of mastering self-control. High involvement is linked to children experiencing fewer externalizing, internalizing and even hyperactivity complication or similar signs in school. Therefore, Schools should be aware of the fact that parental involvement is a key component of ensuring the success of children. This implies that when designing educational interventions, there should be due inclusion and incorporation of aspects of parental involvement. As it is, there is need for many schools to revise their policies in order to include parental involvement programs. It should be a set up that bestows the responsibility of the success of children is distributed amongst, and involves both, the teachers and families of the children that need attention (Badri, Al Quabaisi, Al Rashedi, & Yang, 2014). The Role of Native Americans in Interventions There is a common but risky assumption among teachers that indigenous families are usually not interested in the education of their children. This discussion seeks to review the traditional stereotype surrounding native American families by highlighting the normally forgotten history of the colonial era, and the effects in modern day. the premise is that if teachers can be sensitive to the needs of these communities, they might as well discover that these families are just as interested in the success of their children like other parents. The fact is that the families are often constrained by post-colonial, economic, social, psychological and political factors (Kaomea, 2012).

Extended family parenting; a common practice may seem discontinuous in light of the American model of parenting and parent involvement. These assume relationship with the nuclear family. Research however, shows that the seeming discontinuity can support the efforts of a school if teachers are willing to focus beyond on involvement of parents and invite, acknowledge and support the more inclusive aspect of family involvement. This acceptance would reign in not only the parents of the children but also the grandparents, uncles, aunties and other close relatives under whom the children are nurtured and cared for away from school (Kaomea, 2012). Traditional Parenting Practices Whereas, parent involvement programs focus mainly on enhancing the opportunities for parent -- child and teacher-parent effective interaction. There is need from common perception of indigenous families to include more opportunity to facilitate parent-to-parent interaction. The possibility of using parenting workshops in which the age-old wisdom found in the parent communities is paired with lectures from parenting experts. The overall aim is to provide a chance for parent-to-parent interaction and sharing of ideas and concerns. It should be recognized that although there might be wisdom as expected from a white middle class parent in ways of great parenting, indigenous people also have their wisdom and approaches that other parents would find exciting and worth trying. Such wisdom should be given due recognition in education programs aimed at parents and similar parenting workshops.