Parent Involvement in School

There is increasing concern among parents today about the quality of education being given to their children. Each state is participating in different things to monitor and maintain standards within their local schools. The education system can only do so much for the children; parent involvement in school plays a vital role in the success of a child’s education.

What exactly does it mean when someone says “parent involvement?”

The term parent involvement refers to several different forms of parent participation in the education system. These different forms of involvement can stem from a broad range of activities from simply attending school functions and parent-teacher conferences, to actively helping teachers in the classroom and working with the children to help increase understanding. Parent involvement also extends far beyond the walls of the classroom and school; serving as an advocate for the school system also is a way to involve parents. Volunteer to help for extra-curricular activities and ensuring that homework gets done on time are also two forms of parent involvement. Parent involvement can be seen in many forms and one is not better than the other as they all play a vital role in the success of your child’s education.

Does parent involvement affect student achievement and behavior?

Through extensive research done on children with parent involvement vs. children without parent involvement the evidence is overwhelming; parent involvement in children’s learning is positively related to achievement. Further more, the research has also proven that the more a parent is involved in their child’s education, the more beneficial are the achievement effects.

Although any type of parent involvement should be welcomed and encouraged, research has proven that the most effective form of parent involvement has been when they are working directly with their children on learning activities in the home. A well educated teacher knows this and will help the parents be involved with their children through reading, homework assignments, or tutoring them with teacher provided materials.

Research has also proven that when parents become involved in the success of their child’s education, student behavior also is affected positively. As parents become more involved with a child’s homework and offer support, the child begins to understand that everyone wants them to succeed, not just the teacher. Behavior in and out of school has been affected positively from parent involvement.

How can you get involved with your child’s education?

Many of us probably read this and think that it’s a great idea to get involved with your child in school, but are caught between work and other responsibilities and find it hard to schedule time. Just because you work all day long doesn’t mean you can’t play a role in your child’s education. Here are some ways to involve yourself with your child whether your work or not.

•Make sure you ask your child when they come home from school if they have been given any homework for the night. Often times kids are give assignments but by the time they get home have forgotten how or what to do. You can lend a helping hand by stepping in and offering your help.
•Reading with or to your children is one of the best ways to involve yourself with them. Studies have proven that if you read to your child every day their ability to comprehend and read better increases. Reading a book doesn’t take a lot of time to do; just quality time.
•Schedule a time every day for your child to get their homework done, or to do something with them. It doesn’t have to be all day, 15 minutes is great. Children just want to spend time with you and know that you care.

Parent involvement in school has become an extremely important way to help our children achieve inside the walls of the school and out. Take the time to do your part and help them be successful.