ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses not only the extent to which parental involvement is or is not associated with higher scholastic outcomes, but also what components of this engagement are the most salient. It distinguishes between what expressions of voluntary parental involvement are most important, but also examines what components of parental involvement programs have the greatest impact. Parental involvement has been a practice by healthy American families since the nation’s founding. William Bradford, the primary governor in the early years of the Puritan Massachusetts settlement, was a strong believer in supporting “an intelligent gospel”. Schooling in Maryland and the Southern states was more of a family matter than even in New England. The United States had a myriad of its early post – Revolutionary War leaders promote the importance of parental engagement in urban learning. The common school movement and the changes taking place in society sewed some of the seeds of decreased parental involvement in the 19th century.
