ABSTRACT
In this chapter we connect teachers’ classroom management practices to research on parental involvement. We have two main purposes. First, we argue that teachers’ parent involvement practices have practical value in that they can make teaching easier and more effective. For instance, teachers are more likely to meet students’ individual needs and abilities when they create learner-centered classroom environments (e.g., Roeser, Eccles, & Sameroff, 2000). Parents are important to a learner-centered approach to teaching because they are likely sources of critical information about students, such as their interests, learning style, and learning history. Teaching can also be easier andmore effectivewhen children aremotivated to learn. Parents are important to student engagement in the classroom because, as the primary socializing agents in children’s lives, they have considerable influence on children’s attitudes toward school. We thus argue that student learning and motivation to learn is enhanced to the extent that teachers view parental involvement as an educational resource and know how to tap its power.
