Parental engagement in Danish Schools

This study examines the efficacy of parental involvement in childhood education on the basis of a whole school approach. The involved participants are students in grade 2, 5 and 8 attending Danish public schools, educational staff and parents.
In this paper the National Danish Centre for Social Research (SFI) has carried out an evaluation of the project ‘Lær med Familien’, developed by the nationwide organisation ‘Skole og Forældre’. The majority of the empirical research is comprised by data collected through student and parent surveys complemented by focus group interviews among parents and teachers. The evaluation includes smaller scale studies with a comparison group and a pre-test/post-test.
The purpose of the program evaluated in this study is to improve students learning outcome and well-being through strengthened parent-school partnership. The program is focusing on how parental engagement in learning activities can support the aim of the Danish public schools which is to 1) enhance the student’s learning achievement, 2) to reduce the importance of the student’s socio-economic background to their academic outcome and 3) to reinforce the students well-being.