Each One Teach One

List of Tables \ viii

Acknowledgements \ ix

Introduction \ 1

Section 1

1 Towards a Framework of Parental Involvement and Family Engagement in Jamaica: A Systematic Review \ 11

2 Improving Parental Involvement for Students’ Success: Outlining a Framework for a “Non-traditional” High School in Jamaica \ 33

3 A Conceptual Framework for Involving Parents in Improving Mathematics Learning Outcomes: Changing Mindsets, Conversations and Perceptions \ 56

Section 2

4 Parental Involvement and Academic Success at the Early Childhood Level \ 79

5 Exploring the Impact of Parental Involvement on the Education of Students: The Case of Students with Two Types of Disabilities \ 95

6 The Impact of Early Parental Involvement on Academic Outcome \ 116

Section 3

7 A Survey Design of the Rate of Parental Involvement and Reported Academic Performance of Grade 10 Students \ 143

8 An Investigation into the Scope and Prevalence of Parental Involvement at a Rural High School in Jamaica \ 169

9 School Violence in Jamaica: The Impact of Parental Involvement \ 201

Claudine Mighty and Therese Ferguson

Conclusion \ 226

List of Contributors \ 233

Index \ 236

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world”.

– Margaret Mead

Throughout this edited book there has been a beautiful balance between leadership and collaboration among us as editors and co-authors. There has also been collaboration between the various authors of each chapter, some of whom were once our former graduate students asking the critical questions about parental involvement. For this, we would like to thank our former graduate students, most of them teachers, who year after year asked the question: How does parental involvement impact students’ success? Shepherding a book from thought to manuscript requires meticulous attention to detail, and we would like to thank Nadine Valentine and Shenhaye Ferguson for their careful attention to detail. We cannot forget to mention Heather Munro who completed initial copy editing of the manuscript for us as well as Tashiya Young whose artistry and graphic design skills critically illustrate the background of this volume. No academic book would have rigour without the peer reviewers who took their time and expertise to read each chapter assigned and provide constructive feedback to the authors. We thank each reviewer for their input into making this book the quality publication that it is, with the caveat that all shortcomings are ours, the editors. We must also not forget to thank our colleagues, families and friends for their support and encouragement throughout the various stages of this book. And no book is worth ‘its salt’ without its readers. Our hope is that this book will be read by teachers, school principals, parents and various organizations interested in parental/family engagement and that by reading this book small but meaningful changes will be made that can make a difference in the lives of Jamaican students.