Families and Schools

School populations in the United States are becoming increasingly diverse. The U.S. Department of Education reported that the number of school-aged children (ages 5–17) who spoke a language other than English at home increased from 3.8 to 10.9 million, or from 9% to 21% of the population in this age range, between 1979 and 2008. This increased diversity, along with the continued focus on academic rigor, necessitates that schools partner with families to help students achieve academic and nonacademic success.

Many schools across the United States strive to implement goal-oriented and comprehensive parent involvement programs to involve all families for student success. Joyce Epstein has identified six types of involvement—parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community—through which schools can reach ...