It also seems intuitively obvious that involving parents in their children's academic lives would be another good way to expand academic learning time. Research generally shows that this is the case. However, in spite of the fact that the "curriculum of the home" (chapter 4) has a significant impact on student achievement and in spite of the value of effective homework, additional ways in which parents can be involved in children's education are not clearly defined (Epstein & Becker, 1982).
(More to be added)
The topic of parental involvement interacts with the previous topic of homework (Jayanthi et al, 1995). The effectiveness of homework activities is weakened by such factors as parents not understanding what needs to be done, by parents not having the time or opportunity to interact effectively with their children, and by parents lacking the skills or knowledge to be helpful. These problems become more complex when additional teachers (such as learning disabilities specialists) become part of the communication process. To the extent that teachers communicate effectively with parents, homework is likely to become valuable additional academic learning time rather than annoying busywork.
(I need to introduce cultural diversity (Ogbu, 1994) here.)
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