Parental Involvement Improves Student Achievement

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 that they go to are better. Parents want and need information about what’s happening in their child’s classroom and how they can help. The best way to know is to get involved. Some parents and families are able to be involved 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.

Involvement 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.
• Become 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 school work is important to you and you expect them to learn.

Here are just some of what research says about the importance for parents to be actively involved:

• The family makes critical contributions to student achievement from pre-school through high school. A home environment that encourages learning is more important to student achievement than income, education or cultural background.
• In 1994, the college board found that 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.
• When parents are involved in school as well as at home, children do better and stay in school longer.
• When children and parents talk regularly about school, the research also says 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.
• Parents who read to their children before they enter school give their children a boost towards reading success. Talking to children about books and stories read to them also supports reading achievement.
• The earlier that parent involvement begins in a child’s educational progress, the more powerful the effects. Positive results in parental involvement in schooling include improved achievement, reduced absenteeism, improved behavior and restoring confidence for parents about how their kids are doing. What is most important is for parents to indicate they are interested and care about school. When parents value the education, children are impacted directly at school.