Many parent worry about drugs, violence, inappropriate sexual activity and long stretches of time spent in front of the television. Such programs miss many opportunities to support and reinforce the school's instructional goals. They often fail to take advantage of the full range of resources available in the school and community. We need better ideas about how to foster collaboration so that our young people experience, throughout the school day, after school and throughout the school year a coordinated and coherent learning environment. 56 Much of learning occurs outside of schools, in the home and in the community.
Education research needs to look beyond the classroom.
To be sure, parents and families exert the greatest influence on their children's learning. In addition, parents have a crucial role to play in supporting the efforts of schools. Research shows overwhelmingly that parent involvement in their children's education improves children's achievement, and that the more that parents are involved the more achievement improves. Parent involvement programs and other interventions have been shown to produce higher grades and test scores for children, better attendance, more completed homework assignments, fewer referrals to special education, more positive attitudes and behavior, higher graduation rates, and greater enrollment in postsecondary education. Parents and teachers are eager to help young people find the right balance among these activities.