This Campbell systematic review's objective is to summarize the most dependable evidence on the effect of parental involvement intervention programs for improving the academic performance of elementary school age children. The most dependable evidence is defined as studies that include at least two groups and use random assignment to form a fair comparison between groups.19 Randomised Controlled Trials met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. The overall findings were that parent involvement has a positive and significant effect on children's overall academic performance. It is also clear that the effect is large enough to have practical implications for parents, practitioners, and policymakers (d= 0.45).The overall effect suggested that when parents participated in academic enrichment activities with their children outside of school, the benefits were manifest in improved academic performance in school. This result was striking when one considers that the median length of parent involvement was only 11 weeks. This review has uncovered compelling support for the use of a parent involvement program as a viable supplementary intervention to improve children's academic performance in school, and for the parent involvement component of the No Child Left Behind mandate.

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This paper covers the topic of randomized controlled trials in social, educational, criminological, health, and other human service sectors. It is studded with illustrations from developed and developing countries. We address the basic ideas that underlie trials in different ways, and cover contemporary definitions and vernacular, some history, and idea of cumulating evidence from such trials including recent work on replication and meta-analyses. Standards for evidence and reporting are considered. We attend to statistical matters and also recognize important non-statistical matters that must be taken into account in designing and executing such trials. Cluster randomized, place randomized, and other designs for such trials are covered on account of their increasing importance.

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