ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that scholars and educators have looked at the evidence regarding parent involvement selectively, concentrating almost exclusively on the benefit s of such involvement. It discusses some of the social and psychological costs of parent involvement programs for children, parents, and educators. Parents' efforts to be involved in schooling, while well-intentioned, can discourage school achievement, disrupt family life, and create difficulties for teachers and principals. In some parents' eyes, simply getting their children up, dressed, fed and off to school in a timely fashion is a major contribution to their schooling. Educators often miss actions that parents consider to be a legitimate part of their involvement in schooling. The existing standards for parent involvement in schooling are such that some parents are able to comply with teachers' expectations much more easily than other parents. Parent involvement in schooling is also potentially disruptive of family life if homework is allowed to become a battleground.
