ADVERSITIES, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Parental involvement is often noted as a key requisite for successful educational programs for students. There is little question about the benefits of parental involvement on academic achievement. While there is a strong endorsement among teachers and administrators for parental involvement, there is also a strong justification for caution. The presumption that all parents provide quality parental involvement while helping their children with school related assignments may be an ill advised leap in faith–a leap that might even result in negative or harmful situations for some students. This presumption ignores literature addressing the adversities facing parents and students that may affect healthy parental involvement. Administrative sanctions for teachers to blindly encourage parental involvement may be irresponsible, if not dangerous, for some students. A primary purpose of this article is to share reasons parental involvement may be potentially hazardous. Recommendations for implementing appropriate parental involvement strategies are also presented. arental involvement is often noted as a key requisite for successful educational programs for children. The U.S. Department of Education has provided funding for