High School Outreach and Family Involvement

This study addressed the question: when high schools reach out to involve parents, are parents more likely to be involved in their teenagers'; education? Guided by the microinteractionst theory of symbolic interaction, this study analyzed individual-level reports from parents about their perceptions of school outreach and of their own involvement. Data were analyzed from over 11,000 parents of high school seniors participating in the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988. Findings revealed that, regardless of students' background and achievement, high schools' outreach positively and significantly predicted parents' involvement in a range of parenting, volunteering, and learning at home activities. The data suggest that high schools have the capacity to conduct activities that encourage families' involvement in teenagers' learning and development.