Parent Involvement in the College Planning Process: A Case Study of P-20 Collaboration

Abstract

Parents who have not had opportunities to attend college themselves have neither experience with the process of college preparation and college going nor sufficient access to needed information. This article describes a collaborative venture between a university department of education and a cluster of local schools designed to help parents of first-generation students become active participants in their children's college preparation and planning, shedding light on the importance of parental involvement in the college-going process. ResumenPadres que no han tenido oportunidad de ir a la universidad no tienen experiencia con el proceso de preparación, con la asistencia a la universidad, ni con el acceso a información necesaria. Este artículo describe la colaboración entre el departamento de educación en una universidad y un grupo de escuelas locales designadas a ayudar a padres de estudiantes universitarios de primera generación a participar activamente en la preparación y planeación universitaria de sus hijos; ésta iluminó la importancia de la involucración paternal en el proceso universitario.

Persuading others: Young Roma women negotiating access to university

“…The above processes may explain why parents with poor education tend to limit young people's tendency to continue schooling beyond what is considered 'reasonable' to achieve (Fann, McClafferty & McDonough 2009;Auerbach 2002;Ceja 2004). Previous research also showed that when disconnected from the system of education themselves, parental support cannot be but vague, evasive, less informed and unreliable (Fann et al 2009;Reid & Moore 2008).…”

“…Previous research also showed that when disconnected from the system of education themselves, parental support cannot be but vague, evasive, less informed and unreliable (Fann et al 2009;Reid & Moore 2008). Besides, parents may not understand the importance of preparation (Reid and Moore 2008) and thus, pressure for short-term, close-to-home and less theoretical degrees.…”

“…This brings about a reduced involvement in academic and college life (Tinto 1993;Fann et al 2009). It has been observed that 'regardless of admissions and financial aid policies', many of them seek to enter job market and not continue their studies at graduate levels (Cherwitz 2005), or are pressured to work right after high school graduation (Fann et al 2009). Moreover, certain minority girls seem to experience even higher obstacles, with parents being more reluctant in permitting them to leave home after high-school graduation (Fann et al 2009).…”

Spanish‐Speaking Immigrant Parents and Their Children: Reflections on the Path to College

“…contemporary researchers have examined structural barriers to involvement, such as lack of access to computer-based educational information, English language fluency, available child care or time away from work to attend meetings at school, and limited transportation (Green, Walker, Hoover-Dempsey, & sandler, 2007;sosa, 1997). Parents who have not participated in the U.s. postsecondary educational system themselves do not have the same knowledge of the steps and procedures as other parents do (Fann, Jarsky, & McDonough, 2009;Tornatzky, cutler, & Lee, 2002). concerns about documented status, finances, and discrimination are present for some immigrant parents as well (Edwards & Romero, 2008;Motel & Patten, 2013).…”

The Latino Parents-Learning About College (LaP-LAC) Program: Educational Empowerment of Latino Families Through Psychoeducational Group Work

“…Scholars have demonstrated that Latino parents prefer to receive educational information in a format that is personal, informal, and includes culturally similar peers with whom they can relate, which is well suited for a group format (Auerbach, 2004;Downs et al, 2008;Fann, Jarsky, & McDonough, 2009). More importantly, psychoeducational group work has often been championed as an effective and culturally relevant intervention for serving individuals from marginalized groups (DeLucia-Waack & Donigian, 2004; Merta, 2006; Start-Rose, Livingston-Sacin, Merchant, & Finley, 2012).…”