Traditionally, school and home were seen as separate spheres. Parents left children’s education to the school and schools left the parenting to the parents. However, we know children do better in life if school and parents work together. The Epstein model is a framework schools can follow to boost effective parental involvement and engage the wider community in the education of their students.

Who is Joyce Epstein?

Joyce Epstein is Co-Director of the Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships. Epstein is known for her research into parental involvement in education to improve student outcomes. Epstein’s Framework of Six Types of Parental Involvement was developed in the 1990s; an updated version is still used by many schools today.

Epstein believes parents and schools should work together to improve their children’s education and make sure they succeed in their studies. Schools should be seen as an extension of the family, as a ‘home away from home’. Epstein found that schools in more affluent areas had better school-parent relationships than those in disadvantaged communities.

What is the Epstein model?

Epstein’s work has resulted in a framework to encourage a collaboration between home and school that will benefit a child’s education. Engaged parents are better able to support and encourage their child’s school experience. The Epstein theory features six types of communication that can improve the partnership between parents and the school. These six types of communication encourage collaborating with the community and involving parents in school life.

The Epstein framework acknowledges that the child is part of a family and that the teacher must engage the parents as well as the students to improve access to education. Parents who prioritize education will set rules in the home that promote homework, support their children’s learning and instil in them the value of education from a young age. This, in turn, encourages children to value their learning, work hard and feel pride in their accomplishments.

By developing best practices, based on Epstein’s theory, schools can encourage parent involvement even in traditionally hard-to-reach groups. Schools must work hard to reach the communities they serve, engage them in volunteer programs and listen to what the parent community is telling them.

What Epstein’s research shows is that most parents want to engage in their children’s education, though some might need a greater degree of support to do so. Where, in the past, schools might have written off some parents as uninterested in school life, Epstein challenges schools to find new ways to engage with those parents. Rather than assume that parents simply don’t want to engage, schools should work hard to reach as many parents as possible.

Why are Epstein’s ideas so popular?

Epstein’s theories are popular because of the real-life examples provided in her work. Schools are given clear examples of how the framework should work in practice. She includes examples of barriers schools might need to overcome to implement the framework successfully.

Epstein explains:

‘The way schools care about children is reflected in the way schools care about the children’s families. If educators view children simply as students, they are likely to see the family as separate from the school. That is, the family is expected to do its job and leave the education of children to the schools. If educators view students as children, they are likely to see both the family and the community as partners with the school in children’s education and development. Partners recognize their shared interests in and responsibilities for children, and they work together to create better programs and opportunities for students’.

The family has a great deal of influence over the child; if parents value education, it will encourage their children to follow suit. Alternatively, parents who view school as irrelevant or as ‘the enemy’, this belief will also be passed down to their child.

Framework of Six Types of Parental Involvement

The Epstein framework features six types of parental involvement achieved when parents and schools work collaboratively. The main focus is for schools to work alongside parents and involve parents in the school. School should not be seen as a battleground but as an extension of the child’s family.

The six types are:

1. Parenting

In the Epstein framework, the home environment supports children as students. It’s also crucial for the school to understand the children as individuals, not just as students. Having parents support their child’s education helps the student achieve better outcomes. This part of the framework might involve free parenting programs for parents, health interventions and home visits to aid the transition to a new school.

2. Communication

Communication should not be a one-way flow of information from school to home; there should also be easy and convenient ways for parents to contact the school. Schools should consider parents who do not speak English as their first language or who might have other accessibility barriers, such as visual impairments. Communication could include newsletters, parent-teacher conferences and accessible ways to contact the staff.

3. Volunteering

Schools should provide volunteer programs for parents to encourage their involvement and support for the school. It’s essential that all families know they are welcome in the volunteer programs. Schools should find volunteer opportunities that attract a mix of parents with different talents and skills.

Schools might ask parents to sit on parent committees or bake cakes for a school bake sale. An outdoor garden area might need some TLC, or the school might need volunteers to talk to the kids about what they do for a living. There are plenty of volunteering opportunities in a school and schools must find ways to entice a variety of parents into these roles.

4. Learning at home

Parents must be supported to help students with homework and other school activities. If parents feel unable to assist with home learning, their children won’t benefit from support at home to the same degree. Teachers should ensure parents know what their children will learn each term and suggest ways to further this learning at home. Teachers should set interactive homework to encourage children to engage their parents in their learning.

5. Decision making

Schools should involve parents in school decisions and recognize they are part of the school-family partnership. They might do this by organizing committees, asking for parent suggestions or developing parent representatives. Ensuring diversity among parent leaders and committees is crucial. Parents should be offered a training program to help them take these leadership roles and ensure they become confident and effective leaders.

6. Collaborating with the community

Schools should work alongside community services, resources and partners, so as to strengthen students’ learning outcomes. Schools should also be aware of local opportunities and services that might benefit families and shared them widely with parents. Opportunities might include involvement in sports clubs, art activities and local learning initiatives run by outside organizations. Building these links will also open up further opportunities for collaborating with the community in the future.

Integrated theory of family-school relationships

The Epstein framework is based on the core belief that schools can’t do it all alone. To be successful, students need parents who will support their education. Although this sounds simple enough, many barriers prevent parental involvement.

According to an article published in 2019: ‘Barriers such as lack of time, education, and economic status have created a need to examine possible solutions to assist parents with becoming more involved in their children‘s educational journey’.

Schools must find ways to overcome these barriers to ensure all children receive a good education. According to Epstein, ‘When parents, teachers, students, and others view one another as partners in education, a caring community forms around students and begins its work’.

In schools, best practices should include each of the six types of parental involvement, to build a strong partnership with parents in the community. Teachers should not underestimate the importance of family involvement.

Why we need Epstein’s research

According to a research study published in The Journal of School Psychology in 2017, ‘The more parents were involved in education, the higher the self-esteem of their children’. A 2012 study also concluded that parental involvement improves academic success.

Epstein model states the following challenges as reasons why schools need to make a conscious effort to build partnerships with the family:

Although parent involvement might be more frequent during the early years, partnerships decline as students grow older unless schools take steps to maintain a good working relationship
Affluent communities tend to have better parental involvement, though schools and teachers in economically deprived areas can also build positive partnerships.
Some schools are more likely to contact families about negative behavior, so it’s crucial to communicate the positives as well
Working parents, single parents, fathers, and parents who live further away are less likely to be involved in school activities. Schools must actively involve these groups by varying times, dates, locations and activities to include those who have other commitments.

Previously, teachers felt unable to break down these barriers and build relationships with parents. Epstein’s research has created a valuable tool for teachers to improve parent involvement for the good of the school community. Epstein’s theory not only shows where schools are going wrong but also spells out the types of communication needed to fix the problems and improve parent involvement. Administrators and teachers can use the Epstein framework to develop good practices to engage parents and strengthen the bond between school and home.