During adolescence, parents and their teen-aged children engage in a persistent game of tug-of-war: The teen wants more independence; the parent wants to continue to provide guidance. The game is a result of the inevitable evolution of the parent-child relationship.

There are ways schools can help strengthen the parent-child bond during this turbulent time of change, however. Schools can encourage parents and children to form partnerships with one another, along with others in the community, to address school-related problems. The following examples of such innovative partnerships were included in Family Involvement in Middle and High School Students' Education (Spring 2007, Harvard Family Research Project):

• Through Mothers on the Move, mothers, grandmothers, and youth get involved together in the community. Parents and youth organize rallies and demonstrate for school improvement. "Involvement in this group gives parents opportunities to meet with school and district officials as consultants. At the same time, youth develop the critical inquiry skills that help them better assess structural inequalities in their educational settings," write the authors of the report (p. 4).
   
• Young people involved in Youth United for Change and the Philadelphia Student Union receive training in quantitative and qualitative research methods. In a recent campaign, for example, youth activists investigated the quality of family involvement in a variety of urban high schools. "Their research revealed that parents want to be involved but often face barriers to doing so," write the authors. "The final report concluded with a series of recommendations for the Philadelphia school district"(p. 4).
   
• Professors and graduate students from Boston College held graduate-level teacher preparation courses at a local urban Boston high school. One component of the course focused on increasing parent attendance at Parents' Night. The graduate students led a group of high school teachers in developing relationships with parents through telephone calls. The team then developed brochures advertising the event, which were translated into different languages."The initiative was successful, and attendance at Parents' Night increased by 59 percent from the prior year," write the authors (p. 4).
    These kinds of activities give parents and teens opportunities to work together to effect change. Perhaps equally as important, though, are the academic outcomes. According to Family Involvement in Middle and High School Students' Education, through projects like these, students begin to look at issues from many perspectives, hone their moral reasoning skills, and learn to act on their emerging sense of social justice in positive ways.
   

References: Kreider, H., Caspe, M., Kennedy, S. & Weiss. H. (Spring 2007). Family Involvement in Middle and High School Students' Education. Boston, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. Retrieved online at http://www.gse.harvard.edu on 01/04/08.
 

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