The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
Does family involvement in high school matter?
Rae Simpson from the Project on the Parenting of Adolescents writes:
My report, Raising Teens: A Synthesis of Research and a Foundation for Action, is primarily intended for people who work with parents—teachers being an important group. A network of caring adults is crucial for positive teen outcomes and parents and non-parents need to see each other as allies. Teachers therefore need the appropriate skills for collaborating with parents on behalf of teens. Many of the natural structures for parent involvement disappear in high school, so some of the skills teachers need involve setting up frameworks for teachers and parents to be in contact. Teachers also require a knowledge base of both teen and adult development, and they must be aware of issues that both parents and teens may be struggling with developmentally. Finally, so that parents can monitor their teens' school achievement, teachers must be proficient in balancing the increasing privacy teens deserve with the continuing role of explaining clearly to parents about academic strengths and needs.
A. Rae Simpson
Project on the Parenting of Adolescents
Center for Health Communication
Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, Massachusetts
www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/parenting