Abstract:
The specific problem is that parents of first-year college students expect to be involved, want to be involved, and their involvement can help to connect an at-risk or struggling student to necessary resources, yet colleges limit communication with parents, often claiming FERPA as the reason (Bonilla, 2011; Ezarik, 2021; Fuller, 2017; Kingkade, 2017; Majeed, 2009; McGlamery, 2002; Palbusa & Gauvain, 2017; Sax, 2018; Truschel & Hoffman, 2021; US Legal, 2011; Weintraub, 2016). Whether universities are knowingly misusing FERPA to intentionally keep parents away, or to keep damaging information out of the hands of journalists and other inquirers, or if university faculty and staff are themselves misinformed about the true scope of FERPA because they’ve acted on information passed down from administrators without checking, this misrepresentation of FERPA law results in a barrier between the current state of communication between parents and the universities where their students are enrolled and the desired state of communication necessary in today’s educational landscape (Bonilla, 2011; Fuller, 2017; Hustoles, 2012; Kingkade, 2017; Truschel & Hoffman, 2021).
The significance of this research study is that it can open the door to intentional and impactful student support programs for struggling first-year students that includes open communication with their parents. Not only would such programs meet the needs of parents, but they could help with student connections, academic success, and retention. This research study may also fill a research gap connecting tenets of Student Development Theory to parent involvement.
