Parent Involvement in the Secondary Classroom and its Impact on Student Achievement

Jennifer Stocks

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that parental involvement positively impacts student achievement (Hoang, 2007). However, parent involvement is less common in the high school classroom than in the elementary school classroom. Research has shown that little attention is given to parent involvement in high school compared to elementary school (Shumow, Lyutykh, & Schmidt, 2011). The objective of the research was to investigate effects of parent involvement in the secondary classroom and the impact that parent involvement has on student achievement. I achieved my research goal by administering surveys to parents identifying both their beliefs and practices about parent involvement. I also conducted action research in my own classroom to determine the effects that parent involvement in the secondary classroom has on student achievement. My final project consists of a literature review and an analysis and report of both the parent survey and action research. Even as it is difficult to conclude whether or not parent presence in the secondary classroom truly affects test scores, it can be concluded that parent presence positively affects the teachers, students, and parents.