A Meta-Analysis: The Association Between Relational Parental Involvement and Student and Parent Outcome Variables.

This paper presents a meta-analysis examining the relational parental involvement component of parental involvement—defined as parents' strong, positive relationships with their children, the other parent, and teachers—and its association with academic achievement and behavioral outcomes among urban students from kindergarten through college freshmen. Analyzing 76 quantitative studies with a total sample of 239,649 urban students, the meta-analysis found statistically significant positive effects of relational parental involvement on overall parental involvement, student academic achievement, and behavior across diverse demographic groups, including different ages, races, and nationalities. These effects were consistent in both U.S. and international contexts and remained substantial in high-quality studies and when controlling for socioeconomic and other variables. The findings suggest that relational parental involvement may have a stronger and more enduring impact on urban students' outcomes than traditional school-based parental involvement, highlighting the importance of nurturing positive family and parent-teacher relationships.