How parents envolvement in school affects thier children's grades.

Essay by cuca7890University, Bachelor'sA+, May 2003

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I. Main Idea

In this article, Jeremy Finn discusses educators focus on parent evolvement. He examines research done on parental participation programs and states that though it is widely accepted that parent engagement behaviors are beneficial, we must discover why this is and to what extent it pertains.

II. Article /Text

Chapter 8 (Pg. 352 to 355)

Although the article does not directly come out and say it, the types of parental engagement listed to be beneficial toward school achievement are directly related to the types and affects of parenting styles discussed in chapter 8. The article states that parents of high-achieving students created "emotionally supportive home environments and provided reassurance when the young students encountered failure" (55). The article also mentions that successful students have parents who help organize and manage their time and "exercise reasonable control over nonschool activities, television viewing in particular" (56). The text helps define the type of parent described above as an authoritative parent, one who "uses firm control but allows discussion of standards and expectations" (352).

In addition, Baumrind stated that children of authoritative parents tend to be "friendly, self-controlled, self-reliant" (354). Evidence for Baumrind's connection between this type of child and an authoritative parenting style can be seen in the article's advice of parental involvement to encourage better school performance.

Conversely, a more permissive parenting style is evident in Finn's discussion of disengaged parents, children of which lack in "maturity, social competence and self-esteem" (57). The article also states that some parents make the mistake of "focusing so much on the mechanics that their child's motivation is diminished; and taking a punitive attitude when the child makes errors" (57). This is an example of the detrimental effects of an authoritarian parenting style.

One viewpoint discussed in the text that is not...