The following articles are written by parent educators, psychologists, counselors, teachers, school administrators, and other professional advocates for increasing parent involvement and building family-school-community partnerships.  To submit an article for publication, please see our submittal guidelines.

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Homework: What To Do When Students DON'T Do It
Author(s): Susan Kruger, M.Ed.
The author of SOAR(r) Study Skills, Susan Kruger, outlines the most common excuses given by students when they don't do their homework and how to overcome them. She encourages parents to set expectations and boundaries, listen well, and set the stage for cooperation.

Does Discipline Really Change the Behavior of Children?
Author(s): Mark Lakewood, CEO, MSW
Discipline was never intended to have an effect on children. The thoughts that children experience (free will) resulting from the discipline is the only thing that can effect behavior change. Mark Lakewood, a distinguished parenting expert, author, and speaker with over 20 years of clinical experience as a family therapist provides insightful advice on child discipline.

Parent Engagement or Parent Involvement?
Author(s): Larry Ferlazzo
An excerpt from Larry Feriazzo's book, Building Parent Engagement in Schools," this article points out important differences between "involvement" and "engagement." When "engagement" is the dominant process, schools support students by developing parent relationships and work with parents to improve their local communities.

Bullying Prevention Skills and Techniques for Children
Author(s): Mark Lakewood
The answer to the issue of child bullying rests within us, especially the victims of bullying. Victims of bullying are never responsible for being bullied. On the contrary, victims of child bullying have the power in themselves to think, behave, and react in ways that limit or eradicates bullying. Mark Lakewood, a distinguished bullying prevention expert, author, and speaker with over 20 years of clinical experience as a family therapist provides insightful advice on child bullying.

Parent Involvement in High School: A Guide for Latino Parents
Author(s): Mariela Dabbah
Mariela Dabbah, author of numerous books on Latino parent involvement, bridges the cultural divide, helping parents understand their roles in the American school system and in the education of their child. This article, excerpted with permission from her successful book, "Help Children Succeed in High School and Go to College," teaches Latinos how to support their children in high school by identifying mentors, keeping channels of communication open, helping with the choice of courses, etc.

ParentNet as a Community of Practice
Author(s): Marilyn Price-Mitchell
Written by ParentNet co-founder Marilyn Price-Mitchell, this article describes how Etienne Wenger's social learning theory and his concept of "communities of practice" has profound impact on understanding how parents, schools, and communities learn from one another to generate knowledge that benefits children's growth and development. After many years of trying to define ParentNet and its impact on school communities, it is now clear that it is what Wenger calls a "community of practice," a natural and essential part of how we learn as parents.

Get Your Child to Listen the First Time!
Author(s): Toni Schutta, M.A., L.P.
Being an involved parent means paying attention to how you can become a better parent! You may be contributing to why your child doesn't listen. Written by Parent Coach and Licensed Psychologist, Toni Schutta, this article provides five reasons why kids tend to ignore their parents’ requests and helpful solutions for turning their behavior around.

Engage Every Parent: Identifying Your Goals for Parent Engagement
Author(s): Nancy Tellett-Royce, Susan Wootten
The authors of "Engage Every Parent: Encouraging Families to Sign On, Show Up, and Make a Difference" discuss setting goals, developing two-way communication, finding volunteers, and reaching every parent. An excellent introduction to parent engagement excerpted with permission from their book, you will want to purchase it to get helpful advice on all aspects of recruiting, training, and empowering parents to gain positive outcomes for young people.

How Do You Know if You're Really Open to Partnership?
Author(s): Anne T. Henderson, Karen L. Mapp, Ed.D.
The authors of "Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships," share four core beliefs about parents and schools, discuss why partnerships are important, and ask the essential question, "How do you know you are open to partnership?" This article, excerpted with permission from their successful book, is filled with thoughtful concepts, excellent examples, and ways to remove the barriers to creating family-school partnerships that work.

Transfigurations of Parent Involvement That Work For 21st Century
Author(s): Mary Johnson
This article was created by urban parents through "Parent U-Turn" in Los Angeles in an effort to articulate what parents of color need to become advocates for their children. Seven different types of parent involvement are outlined that engage parents as equal partners in education with the goal of improving student achievement. Parent-U-Turn is non-profit organization that has assisted first generation, linguistically-diverse, and low income immigrant families to better navigate schools and work forward higher education.