Six Ways Parents Can Get Involved in Their Child’s Education at Home and at School
Guest Post by Tatyana Kuperman
Parents are the central figures in the lives of their children. In fact, parents have the MOST important influence on their child’s education and achievement in school. Researchers who study effects of parental involvement on children’s education and student achievement found that parental involvement in child and adolescent education generally benefits children’s learning and translates into academic gains in all grades (elementary school through high school). Across a range of studies, findings show that children whose parents are actively involved perform better in school, achieve greater academic success, and navigate more easily through some of the challenges of growing up. Moreover, children with involved parents also have higher self-esteem, increased motivation, better attitudes about school, and fewer behavioral problems.
Every day, parents have a fresh opportunity to get involved, increasing their child’s chances for success in school and beyond. Here is a list of six ways parents can get involved in their child’s education at home and at school.
Six Ways Parents Can Get Involved At Home:
1. Establish a daily family routine
- Plan a routine that works for you and your child and keep it consistent
- Provide time and quiet place to study (a study area should have good lighting, plenty of school supplies, books, pens/pencils, calculator, dictionary, and blank paper)
- Set aside specific amount of time for homework
2. Monitor out-of-school activities
- Set limits on TV watching and the use of technology (computers, Itouch/Ipad, etc.)
- Check-up on children when they are at home alone
- Arrange for after-school activities and supervised care
3. Model the value of learning, self-discipline, and hard work
- Communicate through questioning and conversation
- Demonstrate that achievement comes from hard work and dedication
- Provide opportunities to develop responsibility and self-discipline
4. Express high but realistic expectations for achievement
- Set goals and standards that are appropriate for child’s age and maturity level
- Recognize and encourage special talents (music, art, dance, etc.)
- Inform friends and family about success
5. Encourage your child’s development and learning progress
- Structure a home that is both educationally stimulating and supportive of your child’s school work
- Show genuine interest in your child’s work and progress at school
- Have child’s work on display at home, on the refrigerator, and in their room
- Help with homework and school projects
- Discuss the value of a good education and possible career/college options
6. Encourage reading and discussions among family members
- Read to your children and practice reading aloud
- Talk about what is being read
- Encourage the whole family to read
- Have an open family discussion about reading
- Build love for reading as a family
Six Ways Parents Can Get Involved At School:
1. Get to know your child’s teacher and form a partnership
- Set-up a time to speak with your child’s teacher and schedule regular parent-teacher meetings in advance
- Develop and maintain an on-going communication plan with your child’s teacher (weekly emails, phone calls, check-up times, and regular parent-teacher conferences)
- Ask your child’s teacher what you can do to help at home
- Check-in about any troublesome issues
- Give your child’s teacher information about your child that is going to best help her/him to educate your child (Here is a video that shows how parents can communicate with teachers and create a strong parent-teacher relationship http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/parental-power/4249-Teaming-up-with-the-teacher-video.gs)
2. Check the school’s website, newsletter, and a bulletin board on the regular basis
- Check the school’s website for the latest school news and information (at some schools teachers develop their own web pages and post updates on homework assignments, field trips, and other information about your child’s classroom)
- Check the school’s newsletter and a bulletin board for any announcements and updates of what’s going on in the upcoming week/month (at some schools parents can subscribe to receive the school’s newsletter by email)
3. Become a school volunteer
- Help out in your child’s classroom or volunteer during special school events (school plays, concerts, talent shows, etc.)
- Offer to organize an event for your child’s classroom or the entire school
- Spend a day chaperoning school field trips
4. Attend a parent education workshop
- Meet other parents in the community and attend a workshop together (parent education workshop are the best way for parents to learn about available resources and share ideas on how to get involved and stay connected)
- Attend workshops on different topics (some great topics for school-age children include topics on “Bullying”, “Positive Parent-Child Communication”, and “Parenting in The Digital Age”)
5. Start a parent’s group and/or join a parent-school organization
- Attend school board meetings
- Join a local PTA (Parent Teacher Association) or PTO (Parent Teacher Organization)
- Become a member of your district’s parent advisory committee
6. Become a community leader
- Organize after school programs (mentorship programs, tutoring programs, parent education workshops, and school improvement projects)
- Set up a meeting with teachers, parents, and community members to discuss how you can work together to improve the neighborhood school and raise student achievement
- Collaborate with other community members and develop a “Family-School-Community Partnership Program”
- Reach out to parents who don’t usually participate and try to get them involved
Remember that most children need their parents’ support both at home and at school. The more intensely parents are involved in their child’s education, the more beneficial the achievement effects, student learning, and overall success in school. Bottom line: High and consistent parent involvement equals greater academic achievement (which also means higher grades, test scores and graduation rates).
Looking for more tips and resources on how to get involved? Check out these great websites that parents can use as resources and guides on how to get involved.
PARENTS’ GUIDE TO RESOURCES
www.ncpie.org - The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education advocates the involvement of parents and families in their children’s education, and fosters relationships between home, school, and community to enhance the education of the entire nation’s young people.
www.parentinvolvementmatters.org - Parent Involvement Matters recognizes the strong link between meaningful family involvement and children’s success in school and in life. Parent Involvement Matters advocates for building collaborative parent-school communities that promote networking, communication, and problem-solving.
www.pta.org – Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the nation. PTA reminds our country of its obligations to children and provides parents and families with a powerful voice to speak on behalf of every child while providing the best tools for parents to help their children be successful students.
www.familyfriendlyschools.com – Family Friendly Schools is dedicated to helping schools and districts around the country to increase student achievement by developing networks of integrated relationships between leaderships, staff, and families that creates a culture of high performance and learning outcomes.
www.familiesandschools.org – Families and Schools is a nonprofit agency that designs and distributes family strengthening and parent involvement programs to help kids succeed in school and in life. Families and Schools develop programs that help families all across the world improve parenting skills and connect families to their schools.
www.parents4publicschools.org – Parents for Public Schools is a national organization of community-based chapters that promotes and strengthens public schools by engaging, educating, and mobilizing parents.
www.famlit.org – The National Center for Family Literacy inspires and engages families in the pursuit of education and learning together.
www.hfrp.org/family-involvement - The Harvard Family Research Project is committed to meeting the growing demands for information on effective ways to support family involvement in children’s learning and development.
www.parent-institute.com – The mission of The Parent Institute is to encourage parent involvement in the education of their children. The Parent Institute publishes a variety of materials including newsletters, booklets, audio CDs, brochures, videos and presentation kits.
www.edtrust.org – The Education Trust promotes high academic achievement for all students at all levels – pre-kindergarten through college. As part of its mission to raise the quality of education for all students, the Education Trust trains parents as Standards Bearers. It teaches parents what grade-level learning standards mean and how they can be used as tools for school reform.
www.piqe.org – Parent Institute for Quality Education creates partnerships between parents, students and educators to further student’s academic success. Their mission is t o bring schools, parents and communities together as equal partners in the education of every child.
www.ptotoday.com – This site networks parent-teacher organizations of all kids. PTO Today lists resources for parent group leaders and offers three products: a magazine, online discussion groups and PTO conference. Among its parent involvement suggestions are “School Family Nights”
www.psinnovation.org – The Project for School Innovation is an organization that has developed a series of books for parents and teachers. “Including Every Parent” highlights a model program of parent involvement that helps drive school success.
San Francisco Regional Centers and Resources
Parents For Public Schools – This is the site of a national organization with local chapters in many cities. They promote public schools and “A New Brand of Parent Involvement”
San Francisco Chapter of Parents for Public Schools – The San Francisco Chapter offers a downloadable Parent Involvement Handbook, an article on How to Market Your School and much more.
San Francisco Unified School District – The San Francisco Unified School District Web site showcases recipes by parents on how to complete various improvement projects.
Tatyana Kuperman is a child development specialist, parent educator, and a parenting coach. She supports parents in their remarkable journey of parenthood and is committed to helping parents become the best parents they can be. Tatyana's mission is to strengthen families by empowering parents to live happy, healthy, and well-balanced lives. She offers variety of education and coaching services for parents with children of all ages. For more information on Parent Education Workshops click here or visit www.TatyanaKuperman.com.
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