The Future of Education

The participation of parents in their children’s educational environment is a dynamic process which has become very significant to the study of education and child development. This process has been address by Friedman and Fisher (2003) who argued that parents’ involvement creates a mutual trust between the school and family and a higher level of respect felt towards the school. Moreover, Rapp and Duncan (2012) also argued for a model that would consider the child’s socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and gender in order to maximize the benefits of the parent-teacher partnership. The role of the educational advisor in this sense is to ensure a sustainable partnership with the parents in order to create the best possible educational environment (Wenglinsky, 2007). Our research question looked at this process but within the context of Arab schools in Israel and focused on the perspective of the educational advisor. The purpose of this research was to describe and analyze the perspective of educational advisors towards parents’ involvement and the effect it has on the educational environment of the child. The question at the center of this study is therefore what effect does parents’ involvement in their children’s schooling have of the educational environment in the Arab community? And more specifically, whether that effect is positive for the environment of the child. In conducting this research, we interviewed 12 Arab elementary teachers. Following this qualitative model, those interviews were extensive, where the teachers answered a list of prepared questions regarding their view on parents’ involvement, the effect on educational environment, and the role of the educational advisor in encouraging such a partnership. Those interviews were later transcribed and analyzed and yielded a number of conclusions. First, teachers believe that parents’ involvement is necessary to create a healthy educational environment. Second, a partnership between the educational advisor and parents positively affects the child’s self-confidence, and his or her academic achievements. Third, parents’ involvement has a positive effect to a certain extent; over-involvement would harm the child’s educational environment. Fourth, in spite of the rise in parents’ involvement, there is not a strong partnership between them and the educational advisor. As a result, most cases of involvement occur when the child is facing trouble. Overall, educational advisors in Arab schools think parents’ involvement is necessary for creating a healthy educational environment for the child. 

Keywords: awareness, parental involvement, child's self-confidence, self-esteem, Arab;

References:
[1] Friedman, I., & Fisher, I. (2003). Parents and School: Attitudes and Levels of Involvement. Jerusalem: Henrietta Szold Institute.
[2] Rapp, N., & Duncan, H. (2012). Multi-Dimensional Parental Involvement in Schools: A Principal's Guide. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 7(1), n1.
[3] Wenglinsky, H. (2007). Guidance Counseling and Parental Involvement. Education Week, 20 (19), 15-17.