Untying the Knot: Review of Research on the Influence of Parental Involvement on Students’ Academic Achievement at the Secondary School Level

As part of its nonprofit mission, ETS conducts and disseminates the results of research to advance quality and equity in education and assessment for the benefit of ETS's constituents and the field. To obtain a PDF or a print copy of a report, please visit: Abstract The idea that parental involvement engenders students' academic achievement is so intuitively appealing that society in general, and educators in particular, have considered parental involvement an important ingredient for the remedy of many ills in education today. In the 1980s and early 1990s, a number of studies were published that suggested the importance of parental involvement. In response, in the mid-1990s, the popular press, policy makers, and school administrators promoted parental involvement. Legislation was enacted, such as the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). However, in the late 1990s, research began appearing that questioned the preeminence of the parental role. A landmark in this debate was Judith Harris's 1998 book, The Nurture Assumption, in which Harris argued that parents have little or no influence over the long-term development of their children's personality or academic success. Other studies have followed, suggesting that parental involvement may not matter as much or in the ways that had been believed. This paper reviews the research literature on the influence of parental involvement on academic achievement, with particular attention to the secondary school level.