PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT WITH ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Parental Involvement With Online High School In Low Income Households

By: Pamela Payne

Grand Canyon University

Dr. Carita Harrell

RES 861

August 2010

Parental Involvement With Online High School In Low Income Households

Introduction

Existing literature on online education for high school students revolve around a number of issues. These issues are the core reason behind exploration in this review. First, to explore will be the concept for online education for high school student, vs. on ground education. Second, covers the importance of a high school education for low income households with identifying reasons or justifications for the engagement of parental involvement. Third, covering issue faced by parents/guardian involvement with online education and what it takes for students to become successful. Fourth, how to measure and the processes of assessing parental involvement with their children while attending online high school. Literature appropriate to topic of this study, with the issues stated, will provide a framework for the study and pinpoints areas requiring further examinations.

Parental involvement is said to be one of key factors in ensuring educational success for children. And while proponents of "No Child Left Behind" legislation assert that increasing parental involvement will solve problems encountered by low performing online high schools it seems, perhaps, that challenges facing low income parents which may contribute to their lack of participating in education of their children are often overlooked. Rather than continuing to criticize low income parents as unconcerned "slackers" perhaps all would benefit from a thorough examination of obstacles preventing greater involvement and development of potential solutions which would enable parents and educators to work together to overcome these obstacles.

Body

Parental involvement is not a new concept, or idea. The actual act has shifted throughout the years, with regards to involvement, and the 21th century, parents have become more involved, with becoming a vital component in the education of their children. While we involve with how to parent our children, low income families are slowly coming around with their involvement to ensure their children get their fair share of education. Since the 1940's when the PTA, became a partnership with the schools as an attempt to get parents focused in attendance, homework monitoring and report cards with parent's signatures. The PTA was a major focus to help schools with fund raisers, while the government was cutting funds, schools were able to use the free services from parents, for daily clerical functions. In the 60's, policy-makers started turning more attention on ways to improve academic achievement along with the civic rights movements, concerns also was heating up on educating “all” children in segregated schools. Along with all that was going on, policy-makers began shifting their concerns of parental involvement, especially among low-income households. As the accountability movement of the 1980s gained strength, parents were asked to help oversee not only the progress of their children but of their school as a whole (Posnick-Goodson, 2005). As we push forward toward the 21th century, we are now faced with abiding by the laws of NCLB, which ...