Improving Parental Engagement at a Charter School Academy

Introduction and Background

This study provides recommendations to the leadership at the Performing Art & Culinary Academy (P.A.C.) site of a urban charter school district to improve the practice of parent collaboration. This introduction covers the background of the problem, the organizational profile, problem statement, its importance, and the study's purpose. The primary research question is presented, and this section also encloses a list of frequently used terms with definitions.

Different situations influence the lives of school children, and sometimes the lack of collaboration between teachers, parents, school counselors, and policymakers on how to deal with and prioritize different kinds of challenges relates to social life within the school. A deliberate involvement of parents can be treated as the answer to such challenges; however, parental involvement can also, in some cases, be criticized for changing the focus of the school's social norms to an individual child's family life (Winthrop et al., 2021). This paper focuses on enhancing parental collaboration, providing opportunities for improving every child's school experience, and addressing some of these historical problems.

During debates about the involvement of parents in school affairs, parents are usually seen as parties competing over their performance and professional resources as "good parents." As a result, this obscures parents' shared interests and concerns founded on their children's daily lives in learning communities and their contribution to those communities (Højholt & Kousholt, 2019). In other words, during discussions on parental collaboration, intersubjective links in students' learning institutions — links that could otherwise enable parental focus on common interests — are often overlooked.

To establish how parents' collaboration and participation in children's school life are linked, it is useful to review the concept of "social practice." According to social practice perspectives, people who contribute to children's education should be linked to their participation in shared concerns and matters (Højholt & Kousholt, 2019). For instance, the social practice concept proposes that even though the analysis of parental collaboration may be framed in terms of regulation, it can also be treated as an opportunity for solidarity in solving school problems.

Parental collaboration is interpreted as a societal, multifaceted concern discussed and represented from diverse perspectives, partly due to historical differences. According to Ule, Živoder, and du Bois-Reymond (2015), heightening parental participation entangles the processes of familiarization and institutionalization. Success in school enhances value in students' life-course paths (institutionalization); equally, the school allocates responsibility for this success to children themselves and their families (familiarization) (Winthrop et al., 2021). For instance, in Denmark, the "Act on Increased Parental Responsibility" of 2006 aims to strengthen and clarify parental responsibilities regarding their children's school lives and learning (Højholt & Kousholt, 2019). Another objective is to support vulnerable children by entrusting responsibility to their parents.

Consequently, historical changes in parental responsibility follow expert advice and policy by defining what it means to be a collaborative and responsible parent. According to recent studies, the boundaries between parents' and schools' responsibilities have shifted toward heightened responsibilities for parents. The emphasis on parental upbringing and support of children's achievements has resulted in several interventions that include parents in multiple partnership platforms when students face challenges in school. Further research has confirmed that such interventions contribute a tangible impact on children's academic achievement.

Earlier research studies also focused on the explicit or implicit expectations that parents face as they strive to be regarded as responsible. According to Crozier, Reay, and James (2011), middle-class parents' involvement is key to transmitting and reproducing middle-class privileges for their children, regardless of their intentions. On the other hand, parental collaboration is more deeply linked to fundamental communal conflicts and problems — conflicts that go beyond the immediate relationship between professionals and parents and cannot be resolved through contracts, courses, or communicative systems alone.

In addition, there is a trend in education to adopt dialogue techniques, criteria for training parents how to converse with their children, and written agreements between parents and officials to tackle challenges or clarify expectations. In most instances, parents are seen as the problem to be addressed; as a result, school dilemmas may be displaced onto students' family backgrounds.

According to Bourdieu and Lareau (2019), social class influences the cultural logic of child-rearing, with "concerted cultivation" used by middle-class parents. The child-rearing practices of working-class or poor parents can disadvantage their children in school settings. For example, Lareau's findings indicate that working-class parents do not encourage their children to engage in conversation that promotes negotiation and reasoning, and they fail to cultivate the sense that their children's opinions are valuable. Furthermore, they tend not to monitor and direct their children's leisure activities continuously. Social class therefore produces different parenting styles, resulting in a close association between students' social position and unequal outcomes as they interact with professionals outside the home.

A critical perspective on inequality and social class follows from these findings. Inequality relates to various parenting styles and the transmission of class background. The general focus is on how parents, willingly or unwillingly, transfer cultural practices to their children that influence their accomplishments in school (Højholt & Kousholt, 2019). Lareau further points out that very little is known about the extent to which children adopt and utilize their parents' beliefs, thus urging a more dynamic method of studying child-parent interaction.

Parental collaboration could therefore be treated as the answer to such questions — as a criterion for organizing interaction and coordination between those engaged and as an opening for the transfer of knowledge about students' situations, rather than singling out individuals. Epstein (2001, 2010) agrees that there is a direct association between families and the school in relation to children's success. The recent shift in criteria for connecting schools with families avails an opportunity to markedly refocus broader approaches and the general vision for extended collaboration (Højholt & Kousholt, 2019). Family-school engagement — particularly collaboration among teachers, school leaders, community members, and parents — plays a critical role in transforming and improving the education system to achieve: improved student attendance and completion, enhanced student learning and development, and a redefined purpose of school for both students and society.

Moreover, significant evidence indicates that family-school engagement can robustly enhance how systems serve their students, particularly those who have been poorly served historically. Studies that evaluate school improvement have examined students' educational outcomes as measured by completion, literacy achievement, attendance, numeracy, and other regularly assessed competencies. Such studies have established that family-school engagement, when implemented appropriately, becomes a highly cost-effective investment that boosts student outcomes.

Schools typically engage parents through consultation and communication prior to decision-making, support for home-based learning, and family opportunities at school. Close to five decades of research has established that parent involvement robustly contributes to better student outcomes. The evidence is positive, convincing, and consistent — a demonstration of family influence on children's achievement in learning institutions and throughout life.

After comparing multiple works of literature, Amendt (2019) established that greater connection between parents and educators takes place in phases along a progression, not as a singular occurrence. The initial stage is "informing," indicating a one-way flow of communication from school to parents and students. This approach contradicts the two-way communication model that is meaningful between teachers and parents. The following two stages, "involving" and "engaging," have essential distinctions: involvement indicates an invitation to parents to endorse a plan developed by staff, while engagement means that parents, community members, students, and staff members create a plan together. According to Amendt's (2019) findings, involvement is marred by limited trust, while engagement creates a higher level of trust. Leading occurs when parties have established a policy of engagement with all stakeholders playing strong leadership roles to achieve the shared vision.

The chosen educational site for this study was a charter school district's Performing Art & Culinary Academy (P.A.C.). This is a public district consisting of three school locations in the urban areas of Newark, New Jersey. The mission of the district is: "By every means necessary; our mission is to be a 21st-century Village responsive to the needs of students, parents, staff, and the Newark community-at-large, where scholars become ready for colleges, careers, and life." P.A.C. Academy serves Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, with a student population of approximately 473 students. The P.A.C. Academy demographic includes 89% African American, 7% Hispanic, 2% Native American, 0.3% Caucasian, and 0.7% two or more races. The student body comprises 257 males and 216 females. There are 37 teachers with a student-to-teacher ratio of 17:1. The P.A.C. school leadership team consists of the principal, the operational manager, two vice principals, and two deans. Student support consists of two deans, two vice principals, a social worker, and a family liaison.

The problem is the lack of parental engagement at P.A.C. Academy. Even though there are multiple challenges connected with parental engagement in education, both educators and parents have a positive and harmonious opinion on the importance of involvement. Parental engagement is an essential factor in endorsing students' learning and future success. Prior research studies have argued that it is partly due to differences in educators' and parents' role conceptions. Therefore, to overcome the challenge to parental collaboration, teachers' and parents' beliefs about involvement must be understood by both parties.

According to Stroetinga et al. (2019), "Several studies indicate that the academic success of children benefits from teacher-parent contact… Benefits are, among others, demonstrated by improved grades" (p. 654). However, regardless of the clear benefits of parental involvement, several barriers limit parents' capacity to collaborate in their children's education. Schools, parents, and even educators can knowingly or unknowingly create and reinforce these barriers. One of the most common reasons for parents' failure to be involved is a cultural difference between teachers and parents. Dissimilar values and norms can result in miscommunication, tension, and mistrust — particularly when school staff fails to create clear guidelines and expectations.

For example, before the COVID-19 pandemic, parents had limited involvement in students' education. The pandemic forced parents to interact with students and their learning activities at home, and studies indicated that students' grades, attendance, and test results improved when parents became involved. According to Epstein (2018), parents play a significant role in the culture and climate of the school (p. 400).

At P.A.C. Academy, there is an established student support team consisting of two Deans of Students, a Social Worker, and a Family Engagement Coordinator who leads the involvement approach with other stakeholders. However, the student support team members have experienced challenges in their collaborative efforts, including power struggles between staff and families, lack of communication, and lack of collaboration. To address the identified problem, the student support team utilizes resources to increase parent and teacher collaboration. The team has hosted family events (both virtual and in-person), completed rotation calls, and communicated via electronic means (calls, messages, emails, and apps) and paper communication (letters and flyers) (Johnson, 2019). Nevertheless, the problem persists, and this study provides recommendations to improve parental collaboration.

This study gives recommendations to the leadership at P.A.C. Academy to improve the practice of parent collaboration. This applied research study used both qualitative and quantitative data collection approaches. The first approach was an interview section with student support team members: both deans, a social worker, a vice principal, and the family liaison. The second approach was a survey sent via email and text messages to school staff and parents. The third data collection method was document analysis, including attendance records, report cards, ClassDojo reports, parent-teacher conference notes, and child study team discussions concerning the integration of Individualized Education Programs (I.E.P.).

There are numerous benefits of increased collaboration between school organizations and families. Some benefits include increased academic performance, increased mental health stability, higher graduation rates, decreased substance abuse, and decreased behavioral infractions. According to Mende et al. (2020), "Strengthening and constantly improving relationships, and collaboration between parents and teachers is essential for the personal and academic growth of learners… lower rates of grade retention and school dropouts, learner absenteeism, as well as a decrease in unruly conduct" (p. 14). Collaboration can also have a positive impact at the organizational level. Establishing parental involvement helps at the school level through increased test scores, student and staff retention, reduced stress for both staff and parents, and increased funding for the school and the community. This can create a desirable community where residents want to live, property values increase, businesses are attracted, community revenue grows, and employment opportunities expand (Sipple et al., 2019).

Primary Research Question: How can the practice of parent collaboration be improved at P.A.C. Academy?

Sub-question 1: What is the role of teachers at P.A.C. Academy in enhancing parental collaboration?

Sub-question 2: Does a parent's financial background influence their parental engagement at P.A.C. Academy?

Sub-question 3: What are the roles of parents in promoting parental collaboration at P.A.C. Academy?

1. Parent — The term "parent" includes a legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis (such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the child's welfare) (Batista, 2019).

2. Parenting knowledge and skills — Measures that directly assess the extent to which a parent reports knowing parenting practices, appropriate expectations of child behavior, and a skill set to deliver appropriate and effective parenting or beliefs about parenting skills or behaviors (Armstrong et al., 2017).

3. Teacher effectiveness — The method by which a teacher enhances student learning and accomplishment by utilizing strategies, approaches, links to students, and a particular set of attitudes (Stronge et al., 2017).

4. Parental well-being — Defined as any assessment of a parent's broader psychological well-being (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, or quality of life) or stress relating specifically to their role as a parent (Armstrong et al., 2017).

5. English Language Learner (E.L.L.) — An initial and ongoing assessment of a student learning English as a second language (Bailey & Carroll, 2016).

6. Accommodations — Classroom techniques or materials used to help struggling students work around difficulties (Barrow & Markman-Pithers, 2016).

7. Parental involvement — Support for children's learning in traditional schools and learning courses (Amini, 2018).

8. Assessment — Describes the variety of methods or devices that educators use to measure, evaluate, and document the educational readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students (Glossary of Education Reform, 2016).

9. Quality of the parent-child relationship — Defined as direct measures based on observational rating of the relationship, parent report of relationship quality, or indirect measures of quality such as frequency of contact (Armstrong et al., 2017).

10. Academic achievement — Demonstrated through academic encouragement, parental conversation about important life issues, and academic support, which lead to greater student homework completion frequency and, in turn, promote more extraordinary academic achievement and lower dropout rates (Boonk et al., 2018, p. 15).

Even though there are multiple challenges connected with parental engagement in education, both educators and parents have a positive and harmonious opinion on the importance of involvement. Parental engagement is an essential factor in endorsing students' learning and future success. Prior research studies have argued that differences in educators' and parents' role conceptions contribute to the disconnect. Therefore, to overcome the challenge to parental collaboration, teachers' and parents' beliefs about involvement must be understood by both parties.

The purpose of this study was to provide recommendations to the leadership team at P.A.C. Academy to improve the practice of parent collaboration, using both qualitative and quantitative data collection approaches. Establishing parental involvement would help at the school level through increased test scores, student and staff retention, reduced stress for both staff and parents, and increased funding for the school and the community.

Literature Review and Theoretical Frameworks

The purpose of this study was to provide recommendations to the leadership team at P.A.C. Academy to improve the practice of parent collaboration. The problem is the lack of parental engagement at P.A.C. Academy. Even though there are multiple challenges connected with parental engagement in education, both educators and parents have a positive and harmonious opinion on the importance of involvement. Prior research studies have argued that disconnects are partly due to differences in educators' and parents' role conceptions (Johnson, 2019). Therefore, to overcome the challenge to parental collaboration, teachers' and parents' beliefs about involvement must be understood by both parties.

This chapter critically analyzes relevant theoretical frameworks that relate to this study, including theories that ground this study on relevant prior works and give the reader a clear sense of the origin of each theory and how it has promoted parental collaboration in schools. The chapter also analyzes and critiques various related pieces of literature to provide a firm synthesis of the existing knowledge of parental collaboration.

According to Ajzen (1991), the Theory of Planned Behavior predicts and illustrates human behavior in a particular context. The theory concentrates on motivational reasons that result in increased willingness to execute a behavior, on the basis that "the stronger the intention to engage in a behavior, the more likely should be its performance." To predict future involvement in a behavior, one should know the motivations that lead to intentions (Alghazo, 2013).

The theory sets a model for human actions in which intentional behavior is determined by three factors: attitudes and behaviors, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (Alghazo, 2013). Attitudes refer to feelings toward particular conduct; believing that a particular conduct has positive results will result in stronger intentions to execute that conduct. Subjective norms refer to the opinions of people close to the person intending to engage in particular conduct, creating social or peer pressure that can heighten motivation. Perceived control refers to an individual's capacity to execute a particular behavior and contributes to whether one would both intend and actually undertake the behavior.

The Theory of Planned Behavior can therefore be applied to illustrate and predict parental involvement in schooling. Perry and Langley claim that the theory is flexible enough to explain the dynamic and complex nature of parental engagement (Alghazo, 2013). Bracke and Corts further argue that parental involvement is influenced by having friends who are involved, parents' culture, and having neighbors or role models who do or do not collaborate in their children's education. When it is a societal norm to be involved, or when school management has motivating policies, the probability of parental collaboration increases.

In his Sociocultural Theory, Lev Vygotsky stresses the fundamental relationship between human beings and their social and physical environment. According to Vygotsky, cultural and social factors abundantly influence learning and development. Human beings are connected to families and are shaped by their cultures. Parents interact with close family members and cultural contexts that are critical for their own learning and decision-making. Vygotsky concentrated on internalized knowledge through the concept of the zone of proximal development, arguing that just as children's potential development is influenced through problem-solving under the guidance of parents or more capable peers, adults can also be influenced by friends and family when making choices about parental engagement (Alghazo, 2013).

The concept of street-level bureaucracy claims that "policy implementation, in the end, comes down to the people who implement it." Michael Lipsky illustrates street-level bureaucrats as the human face of policy, because these individuals directly interact with the public and significantly shape policies by exercising discretion in their daily work (Helgøy & Homme, 2017). Applied to schools, this means that teachers and school administrators play critical roles in implementing strategies to enhance parental collaboration. The school's frontline workers are equal in importance to the governing principles of public administration, reinforcing that policy effectiveness depends on practitioner engagement.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The purpose of this study was to provide recommendations to the leadership team at P.A.C. Academy to improve the practice of parent collaboration. The problem was the lack of parental engagement at P.A.C. Academy. Even though there were multiple challenges connected with parental engagement in education, both educators and parents had positive and congruent opinions on the importance of involvement. Parental engagement is an essential factor in endorsing students' learning and future success.

The problem was the lack of parental engagement at P.A.C. Academy. Prior research studies had argued that it is partly due to differences in educators' and parents' role conceptions (Spring, 2019). Therefore, to overcome the challenge to parental collaboration, teachers' and parents' beliefs about involvement must be understood by both parties.

The central research question was how parental collaboration could be improved at P.A.C. Academy. To achieve this, P.A.C. Academy stakeholders should initiate a strengthened partnership between parents and schools and establish firm structures to sustain it. This initiative can be started by any stakeholder group but must be sustained by a comprehensive engagement strategy and school leadership commitment. Proper activities to engage communities and parents should embrace a partnership philosophy.

P.A.C. Academy and its school community must define school-family collaboration locally, appreciating that no two communities are identical. The steps of co-creating this definition establish a pillar for strong partnership. Developing a shared vision of school-family engagement is among the first promising practices. Consistent and open communication, respect, trust, honesty, and dialogue between professionals and parents must be enhanced. Additionally, specific training in collaborative approaches and practical communication skills should be a priority for administrators, teachers, and parents.

School management, parent-teacher associations, and other stakeholders should establish structures, policies, and events to endorse and promote parent-school collaboration, including informal and formal opportunities for engagement of all stakeholders. Families and schools should also embrace the everyday need for outside assistance from individuals or resources beyond immediate stakeholders — such as parent assistance centers and dispute resolution agencies.

Finally, P.A.C. Academy and its parents should embrace technology to facilitate and support their relationship. Both in-person and online channels can enhance clear communication. These may include using social media outlets, school websites, and email distribution systems to keep parents engaged in their children's progress at school.

The most urgent resources will include human capital and technology to implement the proposed solution. Due to the need for policy development, communication channels, gathering events, and many other initiatives, both skilled and unskilled labor will be fundamental. There is also a need for technological devices such as computers to establish a modern communication system.

An approximate amount of USD 10,000 will be needed to initiate and complete the project. However, this is subject to review by a special implementation committee to oversee the enactment of the proposed solutions.

The school management, led by the Head Teacher and other education stakeholders, should take the first initiative and invite parents to a discussion on improving parental collaboration in the school. Out of this meeting, a special inclusive committee should be established to take up the guidance and implementation of any solution, in order to avoid any conflict of interest or prejudice.

Possible implications for the implementation of these solutions include funding and time constraints. As with all organizations, completing required projects is always a challenge. Therefore, each person on the implementation plan must agree to participate for the duration of the project and beyond. Due to limited resources, funding might present a challenge, and discussions to solicit funds are encouraged. Business partners and community agencies can also be contacted for donations. Finally, the personal or professional obligations of key stakeholders — such as family needs or business commitments — can pose a challenge. Planning should therefore consider the various obligations of everyone participating in the project.

Formative evaluation from every session will be conducted daily, with participants providing feedback disposable to district supervisors and school administration. The summative evaluation of the project will be assessed through improved student performance. Both academic and non-academic reports will be used as parameters to evaluate the general achievement of students. It is recommended that the established family engagement team continue with an annual review of school needs and consequently set new goals that are reviewed as circumstances change.

Trust is an essential component of successful collaboration. Relationships between teachers and parents must be trusting, open, and honest. There is reciprocal respect for each other's perspectives and dignity to have a healthy connection. Professionals working with children should reassure parents of their capabilities. For a partnership to be successful, both parties must communicate and share ideas and information (Amini, 2018). Children's safety cannot be overlooked; this may be achieved by identifying and addressing problems as soon as possible, developing suitable solutions, and educating the public about child safety measures.

Schools can enhance their current programs by involving parents in the educational process through parental involvement. Parents' involvement in their children's education has been demonstrated to positively impact student achievement, teacher and parent satisfaction, and the school climate. The most successful parental participation programs are based on understanding the community's unique requirements. Techniques for parent involvement that are successful focus on a strengths-based strategy that emphasizes positive interactions to establish trust.

All three levels of society must trust and respect each other. Volunteers can be trained to support the classroom or school through partnership programs. This form of training will ensure that all volunteers know the school's objectives and procedures. Schools should incorporate as many parents and members of the community as possible in their children's education (Spring, 2019). Positive school-home relationships necessitate more frequent communication between educators and students' families at all times of the year, not only during times of crisis. Administrators and teachers may benefit from engaging all parents in their children's education to improve academic opportunities for all.

A participant's success in school can be predicted by how well they connect with their peers. The smaller the success gap in the classroom, the more parents and teachers work together. Students are disadvantaged when their parents and teachers are not involved. Having a solid relationship with one's parents is an essential first step in developing parent partnerships. Connecting one-on-one with each parent improves the quality of parental involvement. Parents who trust teachers more are more aware of the importance of education in their children's lives (Thompson, 2018). These parents campaign for education and assume leadership roles in parent-teacher unions or committees. Ultimately, these connections help foster a school atmosphere where students feel encouraged by an environment at home and in the classroom that promotes learning.