Parent Involvement to 'Immunize' Students

The authors of this study validate the "positive parental influence -- found to be the leading indicator of academic performance and whether or not a student will eventually graduate --is effectively neutralized by negative peer influence. "So, can parents really "immunize" their children against dropping out just by being more involved in their education? The answer is yes, but only to a point." One of the researchers adds, "Our study showed that once performance drops to a certain point, later increases in positive parental influence are no longer enough to reverse the trend and may even make things worse as the student rebels." To read the research go to: Mathematical model reveals parental involvement can 'immunize' students from dropping out