*Parental School Involvement and Children's Academic Achievement

According to Hill and Taylor (2004), parental school involvement promotes achievement in two ways:

• Increasing social capital - "parental school involvement increases parents’ skills andinformation (i.e., social capital), which makes them better equipped toassist their children in their school-related activities" (p.162)

By establishing relationships with school personnel, parents learn:

1. important information about the school’s expectations for behavior and homework;
2. how to help with homework
3. how to augment children’s learning at home

• Social Control - "occurs when families and schools work together to build a consensus about appropriate behavior that can be effectively communicated to children at both home and school" (McNeal, 1999, cited in Hill and Taylor, 2004, p. 162).

It is noted that "When children and their peers receive similar messages about appropriate behavior across settings and from different sources, the messages become clear and salient, reducing confusion about expectations" (Hill and Taylor, 2004, p. 162)The factors that influence parental involvement are also explored including parents’ own experiences as students.