School-family collaboration and academic success: forms, practices and methods of parental involvement in the Ursuline Sisters’ schools in Tildonk, Goma

Abstract

This study analyses the collaboration between school and family in five schools run by the Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk in Goma and its association with certain indicators of academic progress. It adopts a quantitative, descriptive and analytical approach involving 361 parents and eight school leaders. The data were analysed using SPSS 27. The results show that 97.0 per cent of parents maintain contact with the school, mainly via the communication book (69.5 per cent). Discipline (66.8 per cent), academic performance (46.0 per cent) and school fees (37.1 per cent) are the main topics of discussion. Furthermore, 95.6 per cent of parents report monitoring their child’s schoolwork and 85.0 per cent are aware of their child’s results. Overall, 74.8 per cent demonstrate a moderate or high level of collaboration. Significant associations were found between certain collaborative practices and monitoring of schoolwork (p = 0.025; p = 0.021; p = 0.014). The academic results of 3,758 pupils indicate an overall success rate of 88 per cent. However, the lack of individual matching means it is not possible to establish a causal relationship between collaboration and academic success. The study highlights the importance of a structured school–family partnership.

Keywords: school–family collaboration; parental involvement; academic success; school communication; educational partnership.

Received Date: August 17, 2026

Accepted Date: September 09, 2026

Published Date: October 01, 2026

Available Online at: https://www.ijsrisjournal.com/index.php/ojsfiles/article/view/968