Family Involvement
Students in the middle grades are experiencing a very tumultuous time of life. Between the physical, emotional, and mental development adolescents experience during the middle grades, they need to know that they have support from the adults in their life, even when they choose not to use it. For this reason (and others), it is essential for schools and parents to be on the same page. Family involvement in the middle grades is an important first step in developing healthy relations between schools and families. According to Epstein’s Framework of Six Types of (Family) Involvement, the six essential elements of family involvement are parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with community. Each type of involvement seeks to build understanding and breakdown the distance between schools and families. In doing so, family involvement makes families support of students’ education more effective while helping educators to better understand ...