Parent and Family Involvement in Education in 2011-12

This report presents findings from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2012 (NHES:2012) from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences. The Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey collected data on children enrolled in public or private school for kindergarten through 12th grade or homeschooled for these grades. The survey collected information about various aspects of parent involvement in education, such as help with homework, family activities, and parent involvement at school. For homeschooled students, the survey asks questions related to the student’s homeschooling experiences, the sources of the curriculum, and the reasons for homeschooling.

Findings include:

• Eighty-seven percent of students in kindergarten through grade 12 had parents who reported receiving newsletters, memos, e-mail, or notices addressed to all parents from their child’s school; 57 percent of students had parents who reported receiving notes or e-mail from the school specifically about their child; and 41 percent of students had parents who reported that the school had contacted them by telephone.

• The most common school-related activity that parents reported participating in during the 2011-12 school year was attending a general school or a parent-teacher organization or association (PTO/PTA) meeting (87 percent).

• Approximately 3 percent of the school-age population was homeschooled in the 2011–12 school year.

• Among children who were homeschooled, a higher percentage were White (68 percent) than Black (8 percent), Hispanic (15 percent), or Asian or Pacific Islander (4 percent).