Empowering Families in Hands‐on Science Programs

Parental involvement in schools has been documented as a positive influence on children's achievement, attendance, attitudes, behavior, and graduation rate, regardless of cultural background, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (National Parents and Teachers Association, 1998). Unfortunately, it has been difficult in today's world of working parents to get them actively involved in science, mathematics, and technology programs and to maintain this involvement in upper-elementary and secondary schools. This study reports on the Science: Parents, Activities, and Literature project's attempt to get parents productively involved in their children's hands-on science program. The results illustrate that (a) parents will become involved and they find their involvement a positive experience, (b) teachers appreciate parents' contributions as an instructional resource, and (c) students perceive the increased parental involvement positively.