A 1997 collaborative study by Queens College and the City College of New York, "Parental Involvement In Students' Education During Middle School and High School," examined six types of parental involvement during middle school and high school developed by Joyce Epstein, a Johns Hopkins University researcher. Epstein found that basic parenting relates to maintaining a child's health and safety, and basic communication involves things like report cards and parent conferences. Basic involvement includes parental volunteer work, such as helping in the middle school classroom or library. A fourth type of involvement consists of parents helping their middle schoolchildren with homework or other learning assignments. Parents may also become involved with the decision-making aspects of their child's middle school. such as joining a parent-teacher organization or parent advocacy group. And finally, parental involvement in middle schools can include collaborating with outside agencies, such as after-school care or cultural events.
"Parental Involvement In Students' Education During Middle School and High School" describes parental involvement as an important component of student success, particularly as students transition from elementary school to the increased complexity of middle school. Well-being and academic performance may be positively affected when students observe the overlapping of their home life and academic experience. Students may also develop more positive feelings toward their parents as a result of involvement at their middle school.
A 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Study examined in the Queens College and City College of New York research found that parental involvement often drops off between middle school and high school, beginning in the eighth grade. However, ongoing parental involvement is one way to help parents understand their roles in preparing students for college, such as learning about financial aid options. A 1994 study, "Encouraging Meaningful Parent and Family Participation: A Survey of Parent Involvement Practices in California and Texas" describes how middle schools in California and Texas found that principals concerned with positively affecting student attitudes toward parents often tried to increase parental involvement at the schools.
Middle schools can try different tactics to increase parental involvement. Strategies may include improving school-to-home communication through homework hotlines, newsletters and special events. Middle schools can also allow parent visits during lunch hour and welcome parents with special name tags. Parents who cannot take time off work to volunteer at a middle school campus can help at home by collecting needed classroom items, typing class lists or making phone calls to organize other parents.
Middle schools have introduced new ideas to boost parental involvement in middle schools, including book clubs where parents, students, teachers and school administrators meet to enjoy snacks and discuss a common book. One California middle school, as described in the article, "The Good Enough Parent: How to Increase Parent Involvement in the Schools," trained office personnel to welcome parents with coffee, a place to sit and a student escort when visiting campus to ensure a positive visit and encourage future visits.