Parental involvement to parental engagement: a continuum

AbstractBased on the literature of the field, this article traces a continuum between parental involvement with schools, and parental engagement with children’s learning. The article seeks to shed light on an area of confusion; previous research has shown that different stakeholder groups understand “parental engagement” in different ways. Other literature makes it clear that the greatest benefit is derived from the furthest end of the proposed continuum, that is, parental engagement with children’s learning. The continuum gives examples of each stage of the movement along the continuum. The continuum is illustrated not only in prose but as a diagram. The article concludes with a discussion of the agency of parents and schools in the movement along the continuum.Keywords: parental engagementparental involvement AcknowledgementsWe are grateful to Professor Tony Bush for his comments on previous drafts of this article.