Chapter 2: Theoretical Perspectives on Family Involvement

Children’s success in school, from pre-kindergarten through high school, is dependent on a wide range of factors. Although much of the discussion about improving schools focuses on classroom instruction, teacher quality, standards, and assessment, the fact is that a student’s family is one of the most powerful influences on her or his academic achievement (Marzano, 2000). Children’s lives outside of school greatly influence their perceptions of and behavior in school, and the events that occur at school shape and influence the nature of students’ out-of-school lives. Any attempt to understand how families influence student success need to consider children’s lives at school, their lives at home, their experiences in the community, and the relationships that exists between and within these contexts.