Bower is a
doctoral candidate at
the University of
Can the Epstein Model of
North Carolina,
Chapel Hill. E-mail:
Parental Involvement Work in a
hbower@email. une. edu
Dana Griffin is an
assistant professor, also at
High-Minority, High-Poverty
the University of North
Carolina,
Elementary School? A Case Study
Chapel Hill.
The literature has lauded parental involvement as an high-minority elementary school that included
effective strategy to increase student achievement, but parental involvement as an approach to increasing
schools still struggle with how to effectively involve par- the academic achievement of its students. The
ents of color and low-income families. In an effort to authors first briefiy discuss parental involvement.
assess the effectiveness of the Epstein Model of Parental The school udlized the Epstein Model of Parental
Involvement in high-poverty, high-minority schools, the Involvement as its guiding framework; therefore, die
authors conducted a case study of an urban elemen- árdele considers the strengths and limitadons of the
tary school that uses parental involvement practices Epstein Model and includes a discussion of consid-
stipulated in the model. This article provides implica- eradons for race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic sta-
tions for school counselors and suggestions for future tus. The árdele concludes with a descripdon of the
research. mediodology and results, discussion, implicadons
for school counselor pracdce, and suggesdons for
n faculty workrooms and school improvement future research.
1S:2 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 | ASCA 83
apparent. Tbe meeting was very quiet and uncom- parents. Teacbers and administrators sbould realize
fortable, even tbougb tbe group bad been meeting tbat cultural differences and practices, individual dif-
all year. Tbe lack of communication demonstrated ferences, and misunderstandings tbat can occur
tbat, although tbe scbool was sensitive and respon- between teacbers and parents and among parents
sive to the two cultures and languages witbin tbe tbemselves can impede parental involvement prac-
building, tbe two groups did not bave tbe tools nec- tices (Lopez & Stoelting, 2010). Scbools must
essary to communicate witb eacb otber. The resLilt- reconsider tbeir beliefs about parental involvement
ing discomfort may be one reason parents are reluc- to focus on individual families' strengtbs and design
tant to attend informal events at tbe scbool. a more effective parental involvement plan (Epstein
& Dauber, 1991; Griffin, 2011; Lee & Bowen,
DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR 2006). For some scbools, tbis may mean redefining
SCHOOL COUNSELOR PRACTICE parent involvement from purely academic roles
toward more collaborative roles witb otber parents,
Tbe results of tbis study indirectiy answer the sucb as parent support groups, parent teams for
researcb question, "Why does parent involvement scbool events, or presenters in classroom cultural or
continue to remain a struggle at Hawk enricbment activities. Tbese networks could impact
Frustrations did not academic acbievement not only by belping parents
Elementary?" The autbors bypotbesize tbat scbools
and teacbers are not building effective relationsbips engage more directiy witb tbe scbool but also by
prevent Hawk empowering parents to serve as supports for eacb
witb parents and continue to define parental
involvement through more traditional methods as otber. Implementing some of tbese activities at
Elementary from Hawk Elementary may also belp address tbe frustra-
described by Lopez et al. (2001): using strategies
geared towards inviting parents to scbool-based tions tbat exist for teacbers.
attempting to
activities, or belping parents become more involved Altbougb Hawk Elementary did revise its defini-
witb academics. As already demonstrated in tbe lit- tion of parental involvement to include bome-based
engage parents,
erature, tbese types of involvement activities fail to learning activities and created a more inclusive ver-
adequately cover parental involvement of low-SES sion of a parental involvement plan, as suggested by
but they impacted
families and families of color. tbe Epstein Model, tbe scbool was unable to reach
Tbe results of tbe study also indicate tbat Hawk their desired goals of parents attending informal
the school's
Elementary may need to develop new strategies of open houses and working togetber to improve tbe
parental involvement that work better witb tbe pop- scbool. Even witb concrete strategies to involve indi-
attitude towards
ulation of tbe scbool. Hawk needs to take into vidual parents, as is tbe case at Hawk Elementary,
account tbe myriad cultural differences tbat can scbools must bridge tbe cultural gap among families
parental
impact how parents demonstrate parental involve- in order to foster tbese relationsbips—a strategy not
ment. Altbougb teacbers at Hawk may bave included in existing family involvement models
involvement.
employed different types of strategies, once tbe (Griffin, 2011). Perhaps these strategies—fostering
strategies failed, tbe teacbers became frustrated and relationsbips among families, increasing parental
seemed to just consider tbe parents uninvolved. involvement efficacy, and empowering parents for
Tbe authors also assert that the Epstein Model advocacy—are tbe keys to increasing parent involve-
may notfijUycapture how parents are or want to be ment in bigb-minority, bigb-poverty scbools.
involved in tbeir cbildren's education, indicating Relationsbip building, efficacy, and advocacy utilize
tbat new ways of working with parents in bigb- non-traditional strategies to empower parents to
minority, bigb-poverty scbools are warranted. Hawk develop personal social networks and engage in
Elementary may need to explore parental involve- reciprocal relationsbips witb scbools. Scbool coun-
ment in conjunction witb tbe families to find out selors can facilitate tbis model to ensure tbat parental
tbeir needs and wbat works for tbem. Parental involvement efforts increase not only parental
involvement is not an easy practice, and it takes time engagement in tbe school but also parental owner-
and a lot of investment on bebalf of scbools and ship.
scbool staff in order to build effective, collaborative Relationsbip building sbould be tbe first strategy
relationsbips with tbeir families. Although African implemented by scbool counselors. Relationsbips
American, Latino, and parents in poverty riiay be among parents may increase tbe participation and
more difficult for scbools to engage in traditional tbe impact of existing strategies witbin tbe scbool by
metbods of parent involvement, tbe evidence botb increasing ownersbip, accountability, and social net-
in tbe literature and at Hawk Elementary suggests works. Scbool counselors migbt consider bosting
tbat tbese parents are involved in tbeir cbildren's and facilitating cultural awareness worksbops for
education (Barbarin et al., 2005; Fields-Smith, parents. Tbese worksbops would focus on cultural
2007; Freeman, 2010; Gaetano, 2007; Kroeger, norms as well as working witb translators. Courses in
2007), and shows tbat teacbers are trying to engage EngUsb and Spanisb migbt also belp improve com-
15:2 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 | ASCA 85
academic success, garnering what schools consider Fields-Smith, C. (2007). Social class and African-American
parental involvement. In J. A. VanGalen &G.W. Noblit
ideal parental involvement strategies remains a signif- (Eds.), Late to class: Social class and schooling in the new
icant challenge, especially for high-poverty, high- economy (pp. 167-202). Albany, NY: State University of
minority schools. More studies need to be conduct- New York Press.
ed to explore the best strategies to work in these pop- Fields-Smith, C. (2009). After "It takes a village": Mapping the
ulations. The best practice research for parental terrain of Black parental involvement in the postrBrown
era.lnLTillman (Ed.),r/)eS^G£/)onc/boo/coMfr/con •
involvement for Atncan American and Latino fami-
Cultural differences American education (pp. 153-168).Thousand Oaks, CA:
lies is certainly a beginning, but more work needs to Sage.
be done to explore exactiy how to best facilitate rela- Freeman, M. (2010).'Knowledge is acting':.Working-class
and practices, tionships among parents to foster greater informal parents' intentional acts of positioning within the
involvement within the school and with each other. I discursive practice of involvement. International Journal
individual of Qualitative Studies in Education, 23,181 -198.
Gaetano.Y.D. (2007).The role of culture in engaging Latino
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