Characteristics

of Highly Engaged Parents

in a Low-income
Urban School

Gary A. Proulx

An Action Research Project

Brooklyn College
 EDU 7202T - Fall 2010
Professor Dr. Sharon Anne OConnor-Petruso

Table of Contents

Abstract i

Introduction 1
Statement of Problem 2

Review of Related Literature 2

Statement of Hypothesis 5

Method
Participants 6
Instruments 6
Experimental Design 7
Procedure 9

Results 10
Discussion 13
Implications 15
References 16

Appendices
Appendix A Consent Form 21

Appendix B Parent Survey Form # 1 22

Appendix C Demographic Survey 23

Appendix D Parent Survey Form # 2 24
Appendix E Correlation Graph # 1 25
 Appendix F Correlation Graph # 2 25
Appendix G Correlation Graph # 3 26
Appendix H Correlation Graph # 4 26

Completed Parent Surveys

Abstract

This action research project attempted to identify the characteristics

of parents who are highly engaged in the academic achievement of their

children. The project focused on a group of parents whose children are in

the 5th grade enrichment class at PS X, a Title 1 funded Public School in the

East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The enrichment

classes are populated with students who, in general, are performing at (or

above) grade level expectations. The action researcher has observed strong

parental involvement with parents whose children are in these classes.

During the course of this project, the action researcher spoke with and

surveyed parents to identify common characteristics that could be linked

with the success of the children in this enrichment setting.

After the surveys were analyzed and correlated it is clear that there

are some connections to certain behaviors (i.e. reading to their child,

coming to school functions, having a positive relationship with their childs

teacher, and a feeling of responsibility for the academic success of their

child) of the parents that translate to the academic success of the child.

Additional research is needed to determine just how strong those

correlations are compared with other classes and if there is a cultural

connection and, ideally, if these behaviors can be shared and taught to other

parents.
 Introduction

This action researcher has been given the opportunity to teach the 5th

grade enrichment class. After five years at PS X, a Title 1 funded Public

School in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York; this

researcher felt it was an honor and a privilege to have been asked to lead

this group of motivated learners. From the very beginning there was a

notable difference about the parents behavior; different from the parents of

students in other non-enrichment classes this researcher has taught at PS

X. The difference was their involvement. From day one, they were outside to

greet and meet the teacher. They handed the teacher school supplies and

telephone numbers. They shook the teachers hand and some even offered

hugs. Later in the month, during the annual Open School Night, there

were so many parents in the classroom, there werent enough chairs for

everyone to sit down, and so they had to stand. It was an eye opening

revelation compared to previous experiences where less than half of the

parents were in attendance.

This action researcher remembers thinking: these kids are considered

the top students due in large part because of their parents involvement.

So, the teacher asked himself: What is it about these parents that are so

different from others? What common characteristics do they possess? Is

there a correlation between their behavior and the academic success of

their child? Can these characteristics be identified and somehow taught to

others, or are these just instinctual, possibly even cultural, behaviors that

1
people simply possess? From those observations and questions, the seed of

this research was planted.

2
Statement of the Problem

At P.S. X, a low-income urban school in East New York, when parents

are not directly engaged in their childs education, the students level of

achievement suffers. Most P.S. X parents are not obviously involved in the

day-to-day activities of the school. Often parents are seen in the school only

when they are called in for disciplinary reasons. However, when parents

show regular and ongoing support and concern about their childs studies,

their child tends to embody that same sense of care and ownership over

their own education. More parental involvement is needed in this school.

Review of Related Literature

Lack of parental involvement is one of the biggest problems facing our

public schools today (Desimone, 1999; Epstein, 1991; Hill, 2004, Ladson-

Billings, 2001). Parent involvement is more than just parents attending PTA

meetings, Parent-Teacher Conferences, and Bake Sales. Its more than just

dropping off and picking up their kids. Parent involvement is multi-

dimensional (Moore, Food, & Milner, 2005; Wong, Alkins, 1999). When

parents come to school regularly, it reinforces the view of the childs mind

that the home and the school are connected (Horvat, Weininger, & Laureau,

1982). Factors such as parental expectations, the quality of parent-child

communication and parental style may be even more highly rated to

achievement than overt parental involvement (Jeynes, 2010). In addition,

the school itself can be a big factor-whether staff is loving, encouraging,

3
and supportive to not just the students but to the parents. Theorist Albert

Bandura states that,

If parental love is truly presentthat caring attitude will

translate

into concrete expressions of love at home, and will have a

positive

effect on the childs learning, (p. 752).

School age children spend 70% of their waking hours (including

holidays and weekends) outside of the school, therefore, the earlier in a

childs educational process parent involvement begins, the more powerful

the effects. Researchers are still trying to identify the most effective types

of parental involvement as well as the factors that increase the likelihood of

parents becoming involved in their childrens schooling. Its a complex

subject. A parent study in a socio-economically disadvantaged community

that looked at parental behaviors and how they were influenced by multiple

factors that included such things as how welcomed they felt at school, their

educational expectations for the child, as well as their own educational

aspirations (Overstreet, 2005) concluded that parents need to be educated

and better informed by the school so they are better equipped to help their

child at home. One thing many researchers agree on is the most effective

forms of parent involvement are those which engage parents in working

4
directly with their children on learning activities at home (Epstein, 1991;

Hampton, 1998; Laureau, 2000; Nettles, 1991).

A study conducted in the East New York community of Brooklyn,

specifically in public school district 19, was done to help engage parental

involvement. There were five successful approaches and they included: (1) a

program explicitly designed to teach comprehension skill, (2) teaching

strategies that enable students to learn how to learn, (3) step-by-step

instructions for teachers, (4) field tested and revised to suit school/district

issues, and (5) motivates success for future learning. The idea was that

successful inner-city schools need to align curricular objectives, teaching

materials, and testing programs (Levine, 1982). The more intensely parents

are involved the more beneficial the achievement effects (Krajewski & Sabir,

2000; Wong & Atkins, 1999).

Some research suggests that there are significant differences in the

relationship between parent involvement and student achievement

according to the students ethnicity, race, and family income, (Desimone,

1999) and programs are being designed to educate and empower urban

school parents to increase their involvement in schools. They receive

classroom instruction, educational events outside the classroom, and some

even pursue formal teacher training (Cooper, 2005). African American

parents have responded positively to parental involvement programs that

emphasize themes of empowerment, outreach, and indigenous resources.

The extent to which parents believe that they can have a positive influence

5
on their childrens education is justly connected to how their childrens

school wants them to be involved (Abdul-Adil, 2006).

There have been significant efforts made in identifying and recruiting

diverse populations in gifted and enrichment programs. Despite the efforts,

too many African American students and other students of color (e.g.,

Hispanic Americans and Native Americans) are not faring well in gifted

education. In order to improve African American student retention, it is

clear that public school systems must do more. Recruitment is an important

component for increasing the number of African American students in gifted

education, but retention is equally important (Moore, 2005). Family

participation in education was twice as predictive of students academic

success as family socioeconomic status (Overstreet, 2005) and additionally,

research shows that when parents are involved students have higher

grades, better attendance, increased levels of self-esteem & motivation,

decreased use of drugs & alcohol, and fewer instances of violence (Jeynes,

2010).

The most consistent predictors of childrens academic achievement

and social adjustment are parental expectations of childs academic

attainment and satisfaction with their childs education at school (Levine,

1982, Martinez-Pons, 2002). Studies (Schoenfeld, 1999; Powell-Mikle,

2004; Nelson, 2008) have concluded that parents of high-achieving students

set higher standards for their childrens educational activities than parents

of low-achieving students. Teachers often think that low-income parents and

6
single parents will not spend as much time helping their children at home

as higher-income, two parent households (Barton, Corey, Perez, St. Louis, &

George, 2004).

Joyce Epstein has developed a framework for defining six different

types of parental involvement, which include: Parenting, Communicating,

Volunteering, Learning at home, Decision Making, and Collaborating with

Community. Epstein says,

There are many reasons for developing school, family, and

community partnershipsthe main reason is to help all

youngsters succeed in

school and in later life, (p. 291).

The more intensely parents are involved, the more beneficial the

achievement effects (Stewart, Stewart, & Simons, 2007). The more parents

participate in schooling, in a sustained way, at every level (advocacy,

decision making, fundraisers, volunteers, and as home teachers), the better

for student achievement (Herbert, 2001; Reed, 2009; Foster & Peele, 2001).

Statement of the Hypothesis

HR1: By investigating and identifying the common characteristics of

highly engaged parents from PS X, a Title 1 funded Public School in the

East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, may lead to the ability

7
to share those characteristics with administration, colleagues and parents,

to help increase the overall participation of parents of students in low-

income urban schools.

8
 Method

Participants

The researcher selected a group of parents who have shown

exemplary participation in their childs education, from PS X, a Title 1

funded Public School in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New

York. The parents have children in the 5th grade enrichment class.

Enrichment programs are a way for all schools to implement instructional

strategies and structures to promote high engagement and challenging

learning opportunities for all students. This class consists of 22 students: 14

girls (eight Black, six Latino) and eight boys (four Black, four Latino).

Instruments

The action research took place from February 2010 to December

2010. The instruments include a consent form and parent surveys, all

created by the researcher. A consent form was given to the Principal

of the school that the action research was conducted (Appendix

A).The researcher created and used three different surveys. The

initial survey was entitled Parent Survey, (Appendix B). This was

given to all parents who attended the annual Open School Night,

which was held in early October, 2010. The second survey was

entitled Demographic Survey, (Appendix C). This was also given to

parents during the Open School Night. The third survey was given

9
to parents during the Parent/Teacher Conferences, which were held

in early November, 2010. That survey was entitled, Parent Survey

#2, (Appendix D). Appendices B and D were scored on a Likert scale

(1-4), a psychometric scale commonly used in questionnaires. Some

questions were repeated to test the validity of parent responses.

Experimental Design

The research design model is pre-experimental, one-shot case study.

The researcher had one group of parents (X), the designated treatment

group, and there was no control group. The treatment group was compared

to itself using data collected from the various instruments (O). The

symbolic design is XO. This action research project was conducted in an

attempt to explore the characteristics of highly engaged parents, of high

performing students, in a low-income urban school in Brooklyn, New York.

Using surveys and questionnaires, this action research examined the

behavioral patterns, attitudes, philosophies, and ideologies of the selected

group of parents.

The threats to internal validity were history, instrumentation,

mortality, and selection-maturation. History was a possible threat to

internal validity because some participants may not give honest answers to

the proposed questions and/or feel judged. Some participants could also be

ill, tired, or distracted by personal issues. Instrumentation could also be a

10
possible threat to internal validity because the collection of data may be

compromised by parents not willing to answer personal questions, refuse to

answer the survey, be honest, or participate.

Mortality could be a valid threat due to the fact that during the course

of this study, some participants may drop out. Finally, it is possible that

selection-maturation interaction is the final threat to internal validity

because the parents vary in age and gender.

In terms of possible threats to external validity, this researcher feels

that ecological, generalizable conditions, selection-treatment interaction,

specificity of variables, multiple treatments, experimenter effects,

Hawthorne effect, and placebo effect are all viable and should be

considered. A potential ecological threat is that some parents may be

uncomfortable in a school/classroom environment sitting amongst peers

they have not met. Additionally, inclement weather could also affect the

mood of the participants. Generalizable conditions are a possibility because

the same questions and actions could be asked by a whole group of other

participants and the results could be completely different based on many

different variables such as age, race, culture, education, etc.

Selection-treatment interaction is included because the parent group

was chosen because the researcher is their childrens teacher. The

participants were not randomly selected so this could have an impact on the

results. Specificity of variables is a viable threat because some of the

questions will be repeated, yet worded differently. Additionally, personal

11
interactions with the researcher (who is also the classroom teacher) may

have an effect on the results.

Multiple treatments could be a possible threat because there will be

one questionnaire and one survey. Because of this, some of the questions

may seem repetitious to the participants but the action will be brief.

Experimenter effect is included because there may be some personal

bias due to previous interactions with some parents. Some parents may

have a more positive reaction to the researcher than others. There may be

bias due to age, race, and gender. The researcher may also have made

inaccurate assumptions about the qualities of a highly engaged parent.

Finally, the last two possible threats to external validity include two

reactive arrangement/participant effects and they include the Hawthorne

Effect and the Placebo Effect. The Hawthorne effect because some

participants may indeed modify their responses because they know they

have been selected and titled, Highly Engaged Parents. The Placebo

Effect because the parents may actually increase their involvement even

more after the study is completed. Students may also work harder to

somehow show how their success is in effort due to their parents.

Procedure

12
 The action researcher attempted to identify possible characteristics of

parents who are highly engaged in their childs academic success. The

researcher created surveys and administered them to these selected

parents in October 2010 and in November 2010. The surveys (see

Appendices B & C) were given to the parents who attended Open School

Night and Parent/Teacher Conferences at PS X, a Title 1 funded Public

School in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. For each

of the 22 students in the selected 5th grade enrichment class, all had a

parent represented in the surveys.

The researcher used a Likert Scale with the surveys and then

determined which questions had the most positive responses. Those

questions were then graphed and correlated with demographic data to

determine if there was a significant connection. Additionally, the second

parent survey was a collection of the top questions from the first survey to

find a correlation between those responses and the students New York

state ELA test scores. Those results were graphed, and although there are

some strong correlations, for example, to the childs high score and whether

or not the parent feels responsible for their childs academic success,

further research is needed to fully identify how closely those are related and

whether or not race, gender, marital status, age, and education level of the

parent(s) are fundamental factors.

13
14
 Results

During the annual Open School Night and Parent/Teacher

Conferences, parents of high achieving students were given surveys to

answer. The answers were put to a Likert scale and then correlations were

made between those responses and the students 4th grade New York State

ELA test scores. The questions were based on the behaviors of the parents,

not the students. The goal was to figure out what are the common

characteristics of these highly engaged parents. The graph that follows is a

representation of the mean of the responses to those 20 questions.

The questions that received the strongest responses were 1, 2, 7, 8, 9,

12, 13, 16, and 20. The researcher then created a second survey and asked

the parents the questions again, mixing up the order, and correlated their

responses to the students 4th grade New York state ELA test scores, due in

15
part because the researcher was not formally testing the students at this

particular moment. These students have already proven that they belong in

the enrichment class. Four questions stood out as having positive

correlations between the parents attitudes and the students academic

success. The results of those survey questions are as follows:

"I feel responsible for my child's

academic success."
760
740
720
700
NYS ELA 4th Grade Test Scores 680 Linear ()
660
640
620
1 2 3 4 5

Parent Response / Likert Scale

The above graph shows there is possibly a strong, positive

relationship between the parents feeling some responsibility for the
success of their child with a correlation of rxy 0.708.

16
 "I've read to my child throughout
their childhood."
760
740
720
700
NYS ELA 4th Grade Test Score 680 Linear ()
660
640
620
1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Parent Response / Likert Scale

The above graph shows there is possibly a strong, positive

relationship between the parent reading to their child and the
academic success of the student with a correlation of rxy 0.749.

The above graph shows there is possibly a strong, positive

relationship between the parent attending school functions and the
academic success of the student with a correlation of rxy 0.735.

17
The above graph shows there is possibly a weak, positive relationship
between the parent talking to their childs teacher and the academic
success of the student with a correlation of rxy 0.447.

18
 Discussion

At PS X, the researcher was able to identify at least four

characteristics of highly engaged parents and correlate those

characteristics with formative test scores. The first characteristic was the

parent feeling a sense of responsibility for their childs academic success.

This had a correlation of rxy +0.708. The second characteristic had to do

with the parent reading to their child throughout their childhood. This had a

correlation of rxy +0.749. Next came the parents comfort level with coming

to school to attend functions such as Parent/Teacher Conferences and Open

School Night. This had a correlation of rxy +0.735. Finally, the fourth

characteristic had to do with the parents comfort level with talking with

the childs teachers. This had a weak correlation, but it was still valid with

rxy +0.447.

When parents are actively involved in their childs education and

participate in their childs school, students will undoubtedly achieve greater

academic success (Jeynes, 2010). It is clear that highly involved parents are

something that students, teachers, and schools need in todays highly

competitive, global academic landscape (Stewart, Stewart, & Simons,

2007). It is also no secret that when a parent is involved in their childs

education, they are more likely going to have a higher degree of success

than a child whose parents are not as involved. As mentioned in the

literature review, there is no guarantee of academic success. However,

19
research has shown this to be true: when parents are involved, it makes a

difference.

This researcher was not trying to prove that parental involvement is

an indicator to student progress, but that even in low-income, urban area,

where parents have not been formally educated, their intuition and

instinctual characteristics, such as coming to school, reading to their child,

and setting up homework routines, all lead to higher grades and, potentially,

a shot at a college degree. As the researcher spoke with the parents of the

students in the enrichment class, it was clear that education is the number

one priority for them and they would do everything they needed to do to

make sure their son or daughter did well in school.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau website

(http://factfinder.census.gov), the neighborhood of East New York, located in

the eastern section of Brooklyn, on the border of Queens, has just over

87,000 residents (76% are renters) with a yearly median income of just over

$24, 000. Families living below poverty level are just over 34% and

individuals reach a high of 36%, compared to the U.S. averages of 9% and

12% respectively. Only 9% of the total population have a Bachelors degree

or higher, compared with a U.S. average of 24.4%.

Studies have shown that the home environment has a powerful effect

on what children and youth learn, not only in school but outside of school as

well. This environment is considerably more powerful than the parents

income and education in influencing what children learn in the first years of

20
life and during the years of formal schooling. In most circumstances, the

researcher has witnessed that at PS X, when parents are not involved the

students lack focus, drive, and have an attitude that seems predestined for

failure.

21
 Implications

The parents of the children in the enrichment classes are highly

engaged, motivated to participate in extracurricular activities, call back

when called, email the teacher, and ultimately inspire their children to focus

on their education so that they will not fall into the harsh reality of these

statistics. This researcher is also the classroom teacher of these students,

and has not yet met a group of harder working, highly motivated students in

their seven years of being an educator. This group of students comes to

school ready to learn and have the self-esteem and confidence to make

mistakes and learn from them. Where do they get this? Is it instinctual? Or

is it a combination of parental involvement and a personal desire to

succeed. Whatever the combination, we must work to figure it out and find

a way to motivate all parents in under-performing communities to get

involved.

This researcher/teacher believes in the old adage that when children

achieve, everyone benefits. Parental involvement is a major factor for

student achievement, because teachers cannot do it alone and neither can

the students. Children must get the scaffolding they need at home in order

for them to have the possibility of a better life.

This researcher/teacher gets a lot of personal inspiration from the

parents who are living in poverty and are not educated beyond a high

school diploma, who push their children to do better in life then they did.

22
These parents are trying their very best, against the odds, to keep their

children in school, motivated to learn, and focused on getting above average

grades. This researcher is not a parent, but has the utmost respect for the

all the parents who continue to push their children, inspire them to embrace

education and encourage them to have college on their mind sets, not as a

possibility, but as an assumption.

23
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28
29
 Appendices

Appendix A- Consent Form

Dear Principal,

I am completing my graduate program in the Childhood Education

Department at Brooklyn College. I am conducting an action research
project on the effects and impact of parental involvement. The
research will require me to survey parents, as well as, conduct a focus
group with highly engaged parents, in order to gather information for
my research.

All results will be reported as a group study and to respect their

privacy, the names of the participants will remain anonymous. This
research will assist me in my goal to bring more parents to the school
and to get more parents involved in their childs education. I am
asking for your consent to carry out this project during the months of
September December, 2010. Thank you in advance for your support
and cooperation. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
G. Proulx
Gary A. Proulx

30
Appendix B- Parent Survey

Parent Survey
Directions: Please select one of the numbers below that best answers the
questions and place your response on the space provided to the right.
Thank you for your cooperation.

1: Strongly Agree 2: Agree 3: Disagree 4:

Strongly Disagree
1. I help my child with his/her homework every night.
_____
2. I have had good relationships with my childs past teachers.
_____
3. I am currently a member of the Parent-Teacher Association.
_____
4. I assist my child with his/her homework at least 3 nights a week.
_____
5. My child does well in school because of my help.
_____
6. I assist my child with homework only when asked
_____
7. I get personal satisfaction when my child does his/her best in school.
_____

31
 8. Ive read to my child throughout their childhood.
_____
9. I always attend functions such as Open House at my childs school.
_____
10. I currently read to my child at least 3 nights a week.
_____
11. I feel comfortable coming to my childs school.
_____
12. I feel responsible for my childs academic success.
_____
13. I feel comfortable talking with my childs teacher(s).
_____
14. My child completes his/her homework as soon as they get home.
_____
15. I was a high-achieving student in school.
_____
16. My child is computer-savvy.
_____
17. I am computer savvy.
_____
18. My child can access the Internet for classroom assignments.
_____
19. We have resources at home, such as a computer with Internet
access,
and measurement tools (i.e.: rulers, calculators, protractor, compass
etc.). _____
20. I put pressure on my child to do well in school.
_____

Appendix C- Demographic Survey

32
 Demographic Parent Survey
Directions: Please select one of the numbers below that best answers the
questions and place your response on the space provided to the right.
Thank you for your cooperation.

1. Your gender: (1) Male (2) Female

_____
2. Marital Status: (1) Single (2) Married (3) Divorced
_____
3. Race: (1) Black (2) Hispanic (3) White
_____
4. Children in school: (1) 1 (2) 2 (3) 3 or more
_____
5. Highest Education: (1) Middle School (2) High School
(3) Trade School (4) College graduate
_____

5. Occupation: (1) Employed (2) Unemployed

_____

I cant thank you enough for participating in this anonymous survey.

This will be used strictly for my research project and nothing else.
~ Mr. Proulx

33
Appendix D- Parent Survey # 2

Parent Survey #2
Directions: Please select one of the numbers below that best answers the
questions and place your response on the space provided to the right.
Thank you for your cooperation.

4: Strongly Agree 3: Agree 2: Disagree 1:

Strongly Disagree

1. I feel responsible for my childs academic success.

_____
2. Ive read to my child throughout their childhood.
_____
3. I was a high-achieving student in school .
_____
4. I feel comfortable talking with my childs teacher(s).
_____
5. I put pressure on my child to do well in school.
_____
6. My child does well in school because of my help.
_____

34
Appendix E-
Correlation # 1

35
 "I feel responsible for my child's
academic success."
760
740
720
700
NYS ELA 4th Grade Test Scores 680 Linear ()

660
640
620
0 5

Respo ELA Parent Response / Likert Scale

nse Score
3 671
3 690
4 704
4 722
3 704
3 690
3 685
3 685
3 671
3 671
4 738
3 671
2 690
4 712
3 679
2 671
Graph shows there is possibly a fair, positive
0.708 rxy correlation of rxy 0.708.

Appendix F-
Correlation # 2
Respo ELA
nse Score
3 671
3 690
4 704

36
 4 722
3 704
4 690
3 685
3 685
2 671
3 671
4 738
3 671
3 690
"I've read to my child throughout
4 712
3 679 their childhood."
760
740
720
3 671 700
Graph shows
NYS ELA 4th there
Grade is possibly
Test a strong, positive
Score 680 Linear ()
0.749 rxy correlation of rxy 0.749.
660
640
620
0 5

Parent Response / Likert Scale

37
Appendix G - Correlation
#3

Respo ELA
nse Score
3 671 "I always attend functions such as
2 690 Open House & Parent Teacher Conferences
4 704 at my child's school."
4 722
760
4 704
3 690 740
3 685 720
3 685 700 Linear ()
2 671 NYS ELA 4th Grade Test Score 680
3 671
660
4 738
640
3 671
3 690 620
0 5
4 712
3 679 Parent Response / Likert Scale
3 671
Graph shows there is possibly a strong, positive
0.735 rxy correlation of rxy 0.735.

Appendix H - Correlation
#4

Respo ELA "I feel comfortable talking with my child's teachers."

nse Score
760
3 671
3 690 740
4 704 720
4 722 700
4 704 NYS ELA 4th Grade Test 680
Linear ()
3 690
660
3 685
3 685 640
2 671 620
3 671 1 2 3 4 5
3 738 Parent Response / Likert Scale
4 671
3 690
4 712

38
 3 679
3 671
Graph shows there is possibly a positive correlation
0.447 rxy of rxy 0.447.

39