Parental involvement can have a positive impact on students’ educational success, but more than a third of educators responding to a recent NSTA survey reported few students’ parents/guardians to be involved in their education at any level—and only 7.4% indicated a majority of students’ parents/guardians to be highly involved in the classroom. More than half of respondents (55.5%) revealed they did not recruit parent/family volunteers; of those that did, the most frequent request was for field-trip chaperones (88.7%), and about a quarter said they asked parents to share real-life experiences in science.
Respondents said parents weren’t active in their classrooms due to discomfort with the subject matter (31%), other commitments (56%), and a lack of perceived value of science education in the community (42.5%), as well as parents not wanting to “embarrass” their children (respondents could select more than one answer).
What else keeps parents from becoming more involved in their students’ education?
Here’s what science educators are saying:
Administration does not encourage it or promote it.—Educator, High School, Texas
Other commitments. Also, perception that teaching academics is the job of [the] teacher.—Educator, Middle School, Florida
Broken families, money and immigration issues.—Educator, Elementary, Texas
Cultural differences in the importance of education in Hispanic communities. Parents speak little or no English and are often illegally here. Girls especially are not encouraged to learn, but to have children, and boys are recruited often into gangs. This is a critical concern in Southern California and in my school in [redacted], California that has a majority of students who are Hispanic.—Educator, High School, California
Distance and lack of caring.—Educator, High School, Arizona
Honors-level students’ parents are involved; career pathway students’ parents are not.—Educator, High School, Georgia
Lack of accountability for their own child’s progress; i.e., “We pay you to do the teaching!”— Educator, Elementary, Pennsylvania
Lack of respect for teachers in general.— Educator, High School, Ohio
Language issues and lack of formal education.— Educator, High School, Illinois
Some parents think it is only the teacher/school’s responsibility to ensure students are learning and completing assignments.— Educator, Middle School, California
Majority of parents do not believe in the importance of academics for their children.— Educator, Middle School, High School, Georgia
Many parents lack confidence in the area of science.— Educator, Middle School, Illinois
Middle school students do not want their parents to volunteer, and parents are sick of school after six years in the system.— Educator, Middle School, California
Most of our parents are not high school graduates.— Educator, High School, California
Much parental involvement in my experience has been criticism and complaints [about] teaching and grades; I do not necessarily solicit more parental involvement.— Educator, Middle School, Connecticut
Not wanting to “embarrass their student.”— Educator, High School, Washington
Parents don’t think they are welcome in a middle school classroom.— Educator, Middle School, Massachusetts
Parents only speak Spanish.— Educator, Elementary, Florida
School admin[istration] has problems [with] parent volunteers.— Educator, Middle School, Idaho
The parents aren’t interested in coming into the classroom. They don’t feel that it is their job to be at the school.— Educator, Elementary, Georgia
They don’t know what they don’t know: They think they’re doing a great job.— Educator, Elementary, California
They need to pass a background check and be added to the district’s volunteer list.— Educator, High School, South Dakota
Work schedules; single-parent households.— Educator, Middle School, Illinois
Work, childcare, etc.— Administrator, Elementary, Institution of Higher Learning, South Dakota
Work, not speaking English, illegal immigrants.— Educator, Middle School, Texas