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Annotation from the Connection Collection

You are viewing a record from the Connection Collection, a searchable annotated bibliography database. It links you with research-based information that you can use to connect schools, families, and communities.

Annotation:
This article presents the findings of a meta-analysis of 41 studies investigating the relationship between the academic achievement of urban elementary school children and their parents' involvement in their schooling. This study addresses 1) the degree of association between parental involvement and achievement outcomes among urban students and 2) whether parental involvement programs affect urban student achievement. In addition, the study examines the relationship between parental involvement and student achievement across race and gender parameters. The author defines parental involvement programs as school-sponsored initiatives that are designed to require or encourage parental participation in their children's education. Results indicated that urban elementary students' academic success was positively related to parental involvement and parental involvement programs. In addition, parental involvement was found to be associated with higher achievement for students of racial minority and somewhat higher for boys than for girls. These findings were generally consistent across race and genders. The analyses were conducted utilizing data from 41 quantitative studies, with data collected from over 20,000 participants. The included studies were identified through searches of major social science databases and through examination of journal article reference sections. Studies that were not quantitative in nature, or did not contain sufficient quantitative data, were excluded from this meta-analysis. This study suggests that parental involvement, and the implementation of programs aimed at increasing parental involvement, may have a positive effect on children's academic achievement. This study is limited by the body of research that exists and future research should focus on examining how specific aspects of parental involvement contribute to academic success.

Suggested Citation Style:

• Jeynes, W. H. (2005). A meta-analysis of the relation of parental involvement to urban elementary school student academic achievement. Urban Education, 40(3), 237-269.