Background Information and Barriers to Communication

Changing structure of family and society:
In the early years of the United States, parents were involved in every aspect of schools.  Parents taught the children, formed organizations to build schools, raised money for salaries and programs, and encouraged legislation for their children.  More recently, parents have not been as involved in supporting education programs, participating in school meeting, helping with reading programs, and advocating for better schools (Clark, 1995).  Only about 6 percent of all households are of the ‘Norman Rockwell’ type with a working father, home maker mother, and two children of public school age.  52 million households contain a married couple.  41 million households do not have married couples (Hodgkinson, 1992).  Of all children 18 years and younger, 82 percent have working mothers.  About 50 percent of all children born in the United States are born into single parent homes.  More than 3 million children live with their grandparents, about 1.2 million men are raising kids alone, and 3 million women are raising kids by themselves (single mothers are also more likely to love in poverty.  Almost 13 million children live in poverty (most of whom are minorities).  There has been an immense demographic shift has added to the language differences of children and to the schools’ preparedness for addressing these changes.  ‘Families’ today encompass more than parents; today the child’s primary family may consist of grandparents, aunts and uncles, or others.  Many families can also include social and community agencies that serve children.  The divorce rate is high (even higher in families that deal with high stress situations, such as having a child with a disability and higher still for families who have experienced the death of a child).

Here is an interesting article about the changing structure of families in the US: The Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families.
Here is another article about the changing American family: NYT- The Changing American Family.

Here is a quick video about the changing identification of what makes up a family in the United States:

Barriers to parent involvement:
Because of numerous barriers parents and teachers have great difficulty forming quality home-school partnerships in education.  According to a 1995 Gallop Poll on the public’s attitude toward schools parents are concerned about finances, violence, and disciplinary problems in the schools.  They blame many of the problems of violence and discipline on the break-up of the family.  Parents also indicated in the poll that they want to be more involved in school programs.  In many schools, parents contact has been reduced to a computer printout of a child’s name, a report card every two months, and an opportunity to meet the teacher at an open house once a year.  Research indicates that parent involvement is the strongest factor impacting the child’s success in academic and social behavior performance.  Benefits of parental involvement are overwhelmingly positive: higher grades and test scores, long-term academic achievements, positive attitudes and behavior toward school, better attendance and less tardies, improved parent-teacher communication, better schools, and children from low-income and minority families improve the most when parents are involved (Davies, 1991).

• Time- single and working parents have difficulty finding time to get to meetings, conferences, and school functions.
• Intimidation- Some parents feel intimidated by principals, counselors, and teachers.
• Don’t understand the system- Parents do not understand how the general and special education systems work.
• Child care- Parents often have other children at home, and they feel discouraged in bringing their children to school events.
• Language- ELL’s parents may have problems understanding the printed materials or speeches at meetings.
• Cultural differences- Manners and courtesies are different in different cultures.  One can, unintentionally offend or embarrass parents from different cultures.  Also, religious holidays can cause conflicts.
• Transportation- Some parents lack transportation to attend meetings, conferences, and other school events.
• Not welcomed- Parents sometimes feel they are not welcomed in the school.  Professionals do not make them feel comfortable.

Schools can feel intimidating to people who have had negative experiences with them in the past.

Here is an article about the roadblocks of parent involvement: Parent Involvement Roadblocks.
Here is an article about how to overcome these barriers!: Shattering Parental Involvement Barriers.

Principles to keep in mind as an educator:

1. Services and programs should be individualized based on families’ needs and preferences, and a variety of types and levels of activities should be provided.
2. Parents should be recognized as the special educator, the true experts on their children.
3. All families and children have strengths.
4. Most parents do care and want to help their children; however, sometimes they lack the skills.  These skills are teachable.
5. Lack of involvement may not reflect a lack of caring or concern. 
6.  Accepting and respecting diverse cultural, ethnic, and racial heritage, lifestyle, and values is essential.
7. Family involvement is critical.
8. Successful family involvement is a long-term process that takes time, commitment, and extensive work. 

Suggestions for teachers for involving families in the education of their children: 

• Teachers must aggressively pursue working together with parents.
• Collaborate and cooperate with family agencies, schools, and communities in developing programs on parent/family involvement issues.
• Adopt an open understanding of what ‘family’ is.  A family member is interpreted as any significant other in the child’s life.
• Develop more nontraditional approaches to parent/family involvement. 
• Develop a greater understanding of cultural diversity in society.
• Train educators to enhance and involve parents and families in education
• Support local schools and community agencies in involving parents and families.
• Plan for comprehensive parent/family involvement in education.

Parents need to be involved in more decision making about their children.  Need more educational services delivered to the home and community. And, need more parent/family training in working with their children.

Here is an article about suggestions for teachers when communicating with parents: Communicating with Parents: Suggestions for Teacher. 

Here is another great article on year long parent-teacher communication: Year Long Plan Maintaining Good Parent-Teacher Communication. 
And lastly, 9 Techniques to Building Solid Parent-Teacher Relationships.