We must consider that the demands put on families now are greater than at any time in recent history. Middle-class income has remained basically flat for over 30 years, so two-earner households are the norm rather than the exception. Families no longer fit the erroneously idealized profile of dad, mom, 2.4 children, a minivan, a dog, and a white picket fence. In some schools there are more single-parent households than dual parent; some schools report that over 60% of their students are English Language Learners. It is estimated that by the year 2050 no single race will comprise more than 50% of the population. Sound familiar? Welcome to 21st Century America.
     Added to that mix are other non-traditional families - families with gay or lesbian parents, families with school age children whose parents are barely in their twenties, children being raised by grandparents, families with one or both parents deployed in the military. For right or wrong, situations like these add dynamics to the situation for which parents and children must develop coping mechanisms.
     One common thread running through all of these families concerns the parents' hope for their children. Most parents want their kids to have the best possible opportunities in life, and education provides the foundation for capitalizing on those opportunities. That education is enhanced when the family is involved in the educational process. Family in this case includes "parents, guardians, stepparents, siblings, members of extended family, any other adults who might carry the primary responsibilities for a child's health, development and education." (Lunts, 2003, p.1). It's more than a traditional mom or dad.
    
In the educational context, parental involvement (PI) can take several forms. Epstein (1995, 1997) outlines six increasingly engaged steps in PI:

• Parenting - provision of the basic necessities like shelter, food, clothing, school supplies and the like. Epstein includes emotional engagement between parent and child in this step.
• Communicating - two-way communication between family and school. Epstein points out that the school bears primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining this channel.
• Volunteering - family members often volunteer their time to help in class or with school functions.
• Learning at home - the active involvement of family members with the shild's school work, such as homework assistance, brainstorming of ideas for projects, or discussions of the curriculum.
• Decision making - these family members actively advocate for the interests of the child through participation in PTA, PTO, or other active organizations.
• Collaboration - seeing the value in the contribution of community organizations to the learning process and actively participating in the services those organizations provide.

     So we know that parental involvement can positively impact the learning process. We also know that families all too often allow other priorities to interfere with that involvement. Parents and family members may avoid communication with the school because of language difficulties, a sense of separateness from the school, or burnout from overwork (Lunts, 2003). Some parents even create a distinction between themselves and the school - "It's YOUR job to teach my kid". Whatver the reason, we can use technology to improve the entire communications process and increase parental involvement.

Next Page - Practical steps to improve parental involvement with technology

References:

Epstein, J. L. et al. (1995). TIPS: Teacher Involve Parents in Schoolwork. Manual for teachers. Language arts, science/health, and math interactive homework in the middle grades. Baltimore, MA: The Johns Hopkins University.

Epstein, J. L. et al. (1997). School, family, and community partnerships. Your handbook for action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Lunts, E. (2003). Parental involvement in children's education: Connecting family and school by using telecommunications technologies. Meridian: A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal, 6(1)