Advocacy outside of school

Advocacy outside of school is a research-based measure from the Tell Them From Me surveys. It is a source of evidence linked to What works best and the School Excellence Framework.

What is it?

Advocacy outside of school refers to the support students receive from their parents and other family members. Parents differ in their level of involvement in their child's education, but they are more likely to become involved if they perceive that school staff and students want and expect their involvement.

The Tell Them From Me surveys ask students about their interactions with adults outside of school to indicate whether they have someone at home who consistently provides encouragement and who can be turned to for advice. The results are reported as the average of students' scores.

School improvement links

School Excellence Framework element What works best theme
Wellbeing Wellbeing

Why is it important?

Students with supportive parents who are involved in their school life are likely to achieve better academic outcomes, attend school more regularly, have better social skills and emotional functioning and have more positive overall wellbeing.

Evidence base

El Nokali, N. E., Bachman, H. J., & Votruba-Drzal, E. (2010). Parent involvement and children's academic and social development in elementary school. Child Development, 81(3), 988-1005.

Green, C. L., Walker, J. M. T., Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., & Sandler, H. M. (2007). Parents' motivations for involvement in children's education: An empirical test of a theoretical model of parental involvement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(3), 532-544.

Jeynes, W. H. (2007). The relationship between parental involvement and urban secondary school student academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Urban Education, 42(1), 82-110.

OECD (2013), Ready to learn: Students’ engagement, drive and self-beliefs (PISA 2012 results: Volume III). Paris: OECD Publishing.

Wang, M.-T., & Sheikh-Khalil, S. (2014). Does parental involvement matter for student achievement and mental health in high school? Child Development, 85(2), 610-625.

Image: This explainer has been produced in collaboration with The Learning Bar

Explainers of the Tell Them From Me measures have been produced in collaboration with The Learning Bar. The Tell Them From Me measures are provided by, and remain the intellectual property of, The Learning Bar. The explainers can also be found online within the Tell Them From Me portal. Tell Them From Me and TTFM are trademarks of The Learning Bar.

Category:

  • Student engagement and wellbeing
  • Tell Them From Me

Business Unit:

  • Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation
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