When parents are involved in their children's education, kids do better in school. Want to learn how to help your child achieve and succeed? Read below to find out more information about parent involvement and ways in which you can get involved.
Questions Menu
What is parent involvement,
exactly?
Why is parent involvement important?
Why do schools need parent and community support?
What can I do to be involved?
What can I do at school?
How can my community be involved in my child's school?
What Is Parental Involvement, Exactly?
Parental involvement in your child's education can mean:
Reading to your child
Checking homework every night
Discussing your children's progress with teachers
Voting in school board elections
Helping your school to set challenging academic standards
Limiting TV viewing on school nights
Becoming an advocate for better education in your community and state.
Or, it can be as simple as asking your children, "How was school today?" But ask every day. That will send your children the clear message that their schoolwork is important to you and you expect them to learn.
Some parents and families are able to be involved in their child's education in many ways. Others may only have time for one or two activities. Whatever your level of involvement, do it consistently and stick with it because you will make an important difference in your child's life.
Why Is Parental Involvement Important?
In study after study, researchers discover how important it is for parents to be actively involved in their child's education. Here are some of the findings of major research into parental involvement:
When parents are involved in
their children's education at home, they do better in school. And
when parents are involved in school, children go farther in school —
and the schools they go to are better.
The family makes critical
contributions to student achievement from preschool through high
school. A home environment that encourages learning is more
important to student achievement than income, education level or
cultural background.
Reading achievement is more
dependent on learning activities in the home than is math or
science. Reading aloud to children is the most important activity
that parents can do to increase their child's chance of reading
success. Talking to children about books and stories read to them
also supports reading achievement.
When children and parents talk
regularly about school, children perform better academically.
Three kinds of parental
involvement at home are consistently associated with higher student
achievement: actively organizing and monitoring a child's time,
helping with homework and discussing school matters.
The earlier that parent
involvement begins in a child's educational process, the more
powerful the effects.
Positive results of parental involvement include improved student achievement, reduced absenteeism, improved behavior, and restored confidence among parents in their children's schooling.
Why do schools need parent and community support?
Thirty years of research clearly shows that parent and community involvement in schools improves student achievement. To reach their potential, students need parents and the community to take an active role in their education.
Schools are working hard to provide a high quality education for every child. But they can't do it alone. Parent and community involvement is critical to creating great schools.
What can I do to be involved?
There are many ways parents, other adults who play an important role in a child's life, and community groups can be involved with children's education at home, at school and in the community.
What can I do at school?
As a parent, or an adult who plays an important role in the life of a child, your involvement in your child's education at school and at home shows your child that you value education. Teachers can see that you care about your children's learning. You can provide teachers with the most reliable source of information about your child. The partnership between you and your child's teacher is powerful.
Here are some ways you can be involved in your child's education each year at school:
Meet the teacher. Tell
her about your child's interests and hobbies. Let her know how and
when it is best to reach you. Ask her how you can support your
child's learning at home.
Make a date with the teacher
to visit your child's classroom. Are the kids busy learning,
exploring and asking questions? Does the teacher draw them in?
Go to parent-teacher
conferences. If the school doesn't have them, meet with your
child's teachers. Ask how your child is doing and review his work.
Join the PTA or other parent
group. Go to school events, like back-to-school night. As a
group, see how you can help the school reach its goals.
Stay up-to-date on school
policies, schedules and rules. Ask about opportunities to
participate in the development of school policies.
Make sure that your child is
learning what she needs to know to meet the standards set for
her grade level.
Find a teacher or counselor
you feel comfortable talking to about your child. Talk about the
courses she should take to reach her goals. Do they match what the
standards say she should be learning? Will they prepare her for
college and a career?
Check your school's Web site
regularly.
Contact your child's teacher or counselor if you have any concerns about what's going on with your child at school.
How can my community be involved in my child's school?
Here are some ways communities, parents and teachers can work together to provide a high quality education to all of their children:
Establish school-business
partnerships. Schools and business can work together to prepare
students for further education and for life as productive members of
their communities.
Employers can grant parents
leave to attend school meetings, conferences, or to volunteer in
the school.
Engage in activities to
better meet the needs of children and their families. For
example, the county health department can schedule regular visits to
the school health clinic. Social service workers can meet with
school counselors. After-school program providers can operate
homework clubs utilizing textbooks and other materials provided by
the school.
Establish and operate a
mentoring program for "at risk" students through the involvement
of volunteers from community, civic and religious organizations,
local businesses, or the Chamber of Commerce.
Check out public libraries,
which are strong educational partners. They can sponsor story hours
for preschoolers and their parents, special programs that motivate
children to read, or specialized evening topics of interest to
parents.
Ask businesses, PTA's,
churches and civic organizations to provide valuable services
for schools. Many are excellent sources of volunteers, and many
sponsor evening or after-school tutoring programs for students who
need extra help, organize drives to collect school supplies for
needy students, and raise funds for scholarships.
Recommend that schools in
your community remain open during the evening and on weekends to
allow parents and neighbors to use the library, playground,
computers and other equipment. Let local groups hold their meetings
and special events at the school.
Recruit retirees to volunteer in the schools and to share their experiences and expertise on relevant topics. Retirees have much to contribute to schools.
Source: National Education Association
