At my my final parent/teacher conference during the 1998-1999 school year, I had only seven parents attend.  "Why aren't more of them interested in knowing how their children are doing?" I wondered.   I had sent home newsletters reminding parents of the conferences, the school had sent home flyers, the school had arranged for both daytime and evening time slots to accommodate various schedules, yet I sat in an empty room for most of the day.  I asked a number of my colleagues to help me think of ways to get parents to become more actively involved at the secondary level.  Most of them laughed at me or indicated that I was making a mistake to even pursue this avenue.  "Are you trying to increase the drop-out rate?" one cynic asked.  He further embellished his point by saying that teens are embarrassed by their parents and to invite parents to be involved in the school would only make the kids uncomfortable.  I disagreed and investigated ways to help get parents more involved through  interviews with my writing club students, reading books and researching online sources.
     Through the interviews with my writing club students, I learned that my most motivated students have very involved parents.  Very few of my students live in two-parent households, but in the cases of the most motivated and successful students, both parents are involved in their lives.   For example, "A" is a 13 year old female student with a 4.0 grade point since elementary school.   She is one of only three members  of my writing club who live in a two parent household.  Her parents attend every parent/teacher conference, honors assembly, and school function.  They take pictures, cheer for her, and give her hugs in public.  She states, "I know my parents really care if I do well in school.  They help me with my homework and make sure I have everything I need to do well."
     Meanwhile, "C" is a 13 year old female student who also has very supportive and interested parents.  Her parents are in the process of divorcing, yet they each take an active interest in her academic success.  Both parents, at different times, have visited my classroom and inquired about her work.  Both parents help "C" complete her homework and inquire about her day.  "C" does not carry a high grade point average, but she is highly motivated in subject areas which interest her, including writing.
     Other members of the writing club report a variety of home situations, but in every case, each student has at least one adult (in two cases it is a grandparent; in one case it is an aunt) who takes an active interest in that child's schoolwork.  Not every student reported that the adult in their lives is able to visit the school on a regular basis, but they do take an interest by helping with homework, arranging visits to a library, buying necessary materials for projects, sharing the student's work with other family members, and communicating daily with the child to know what went on during the school day.
     From my research, I learned that more parents are involved in their child's education at the elementary level  than at the secondary level.  Perhaps, partially, this is as a result of teens discouraging their parents from visiting the school.  However, there are ways that schools can reach out and help parents to become more comfortable in becoming a part of their secondary students' educational experience.  Although some educators, my cynical colleagues included, may not recognize the importance of parental involvement at the secondary level, studies have shown that it is an important component of a student's success.  In fact, according to  research (Engle, 1989), there is a significant link between "parent involvement in high school and future student success. "  The research "indicates that students whose parents remained involved through high school were much more likely to complete college. These students were three times more likely to complete a bachelor's degree than children of parents who were not involved in high school. "  According to this study, "parent involvement was defined as frequency of talking to teachers, parent interest in planning for post-high school activities, and parent monitoring of school work."  The study involved more than 11,200 students.   "Twenty-seven percent of the students whose parents remained involved completed a bachelor's degree, compared to only 8 percent of those students whose parents were not very involved in high school" (Engle, 1989).
      So, what can teachers do to help get parents involved?  There are many ways we can help.  According to my students, parents need to feel like they are welcome.  Last year, therefore, my team (consisting of four teachers at my middle school) sponsored a pot-luck dinner for parents to attend.    It was a wonderful success, with over forty parents and other relatives attending.  We also sent home quarterly newsletters, highlighting activities of our team and spotlighting successes of individual students, being sure to mention as many students as possible, and to give credit for non-academic success, too, such as being polite to others, helping in the classroom, showing enthusiasm, etc.  For writing club members, their parents were sent invitations to attend writing club meetings and to be a part of the club.  Unfortunately, no one took advantage of this opportunity.  When questioned, the students all told me it was due to difficulties in finding a babysitter to care for younger children during this time, transportation difficulties, and work schedules.
     It is, of course, important for students to know that someone at home is interested in what they are doing in school.  As William Glasser states "...when they show and tell what they did to someone they respect and who cares for them" students are able to see that the work they do in school has value beyond just getting a grade or satisfying a requirement (209).  Glasser also suggests that "schools should provide a group of volunteers who will listen" to students share what they have been doing in school.  I like this idea, for I know of many students (even some of the motivated students) who go home to an empty house and have no one to tell about their successes or failures, or even just to share the mundane events of the day.  If they had someone at the school to give them that one-on-one support, perhaps it would help them to have greater motivation.  Part of the enjoyment of success is having someone with whom to share it.
     When it comes to creative writing, it is important for the students to be able to share what they have done with a parent.  Some of my students are so excited about a story or a poem, they want to take it home right away to show to a parent.  I love it when the parent takes the time to comment directly on the child's work.  I often find comments from parents written on the rough drafts my students turn in.
     Keeping the importance of parental involvement in mind, I have tried to come up with ways to help parents to have more opportunities to be a part of my writing club.  One way I try to connect to them is through a "walking family journal" which one student takes home each night to let a family member write comments, questions, stories or poems in it to share with our club.  I then write a letter back to the family member or club members write a letter to them, depending on what was said in the family members' message.   I have not yet had great success with this journal, mainly because it often comes back to me without any comments in it.  I have found that many of the parents are reluctant to write because they are either too busy, or possibly because they are uncomfortable sharing their writing.  I plan to keep trying because other teachers have had success with using a walking journal.   This is an idea that has been working well for teacher Carolyn Berge, an elementary teacher in Ann Arbor, MI.  In her article "Advocating for Change:  A New Education for New Teachers," Cathy Fleischer explains that Berge uses the journal to "model and encourage written communication" (90).  I think this is a great idea, and I can see other ways it could be used.  I think an online "journal"or chatboard could be useful, in which parents are able to post questions and the teachers or students can answer them.
     I have written a page for my website specifically for parents to give them ideas for becoming more involved in their child's academic life.  Since I recognize that many parents do not have internet access, I am also making copies of this letter to send home with my students.  For additional information regarding the importance of parental involvement in secondary schools, you may wish to visit one of the websites below.
 
 

 Parents as Partners

Connecting Families and Schools to Help Our Children Succeed

Parent Involvement at the Secondary School Level

 The Future of High School Success: The Importance of Parent    Involvement   Programs

 Parent and Family Involvement

 Pathways to School Improvement