The Effect of Parental Involvement in Parent Teacher Groups on Student Achievement

Abstract Using a production function approach, we analyze the marginal effects of parent teacher groups (PTG's) on mathematical achievement of fifth graders in Florida. First, we hypothesize that there is a positive and significant effect on student achievement resulting from having any kind of PTG. Second, we hypothesize that there is no significant difference among types of PTG's on student achievement. Finally, we consider the effect of the extent of membership in PTG's on student achievement. We hypothesize that, controlling for student population, higher PTA membership is associated with higher student achievement. We find support for all three of our hypotheses and discuss relevant policy implications. Key words: student achievement, production function, parental involvement, parent teacher association, parent teacher group, parent teacher organization Introduction Parental involvement in the educational process has received a growing amount of attention since the publication of the famous "Coleman Report" (Coleman et al., 1966) in which family and peer effects were found to be more important than school effects in explaining educational outcomes. While this report spawned a host of subsequent investigations demonstrating that school effects (especially teachers) are also important (see Hanushek, 1986, for a summary), the importance of parental involvement in the educational achievement of students remains an important research question. In this current endeavor, we investigate a particular type of parental involvement-involvement in parent teacher groups (PTG's)-to test three different research hypotheses.1 First, we wish to test whether PTG's can have a positive influence on student achievement. Using a data set for elementary schools in Florida, we find support for our hypothesis that having any kind of PTG is associated with higher mathematics achievement scores of fifth graders in Florida. Next, we wish to investigate whether the type of PTG (PTA vs. PTO vs. Alternative) matters. We find no significant difference among PTG types on mathematical achievement. This is an important finding since (a) trends in PTG membership suggest a growing preference for PTO's vs. PTA's, and (b) the financial impact on local schools may differ significantly based on organizational type. Results presented here suggest that the trend toward (less expensive) PTO's and Alternative organizations may be justified. Finally, we test whether the extent of PTG membership is positively associated with student achievement. Due to data limitations, we are only able to estimate the effect of PTA membership on student achievement. We find that higher PTA membership is, in fact, associated with higher student achievement. Background Following Muller and Kerbow (1993), there are three main areas or "contexts" in which parental involvement takes place: (a) at home (Fehrmann et al., 1987; Lee, 1993; White, 1982; Yap & Enoki, 1995; Zellman & Waterman, 1998), (b) in the community (Coleman, 1987; Jaggia & Kelley-Hawke, 1999; Muller & Kerbow, 1993), and (c) in the school (Epstein, 1992, Epstein & Dauber, 1991; Muller & Kerbow, 1993; Stevenson & Baker, 1987). From a policy perspective, parental involvement in the school is perhaps the most important area for analysis since this can be controlled directly (as opposed to indirectly through parental involvement in the home) by educators and administrators (see Feuerstein, 2000). Parental involvement in schools can occur in a variety of ways. Among these are (a) volunteering directly in the classroom, (b) attending or participating in children's activities at school, and (c) participating in a PTG. Empirical support for the effect of parental involvement in these three areas is mixed. Stevenson and Baker (1987, p. 1350), using a sample of 179 teachers and children, test the effect of parental involvement in "activities of the school such as PTO and parent-teacher conferences" on student achievement. …