|
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 they
go to are better.
—A New Generation of
Evidence: The Family is Critical to Student Achievement. A.T.
Henderson and N. Berla. Washington, D.C.: National Committee for Citizens
in Education.
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
- 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. Here are just some of the reasons it is
important 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 level or cultural background.
(Henderson and Berla)
- 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 at school as
well as at home, children do better and stay in school longer.
(Henderson and Berla)
- When children and parents talk
regularly about school, children perform better academically. (Aston &
McLanahan, 1991; Ho & Willms, 1996; Finn, 1993)
- 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. (Finn, 1998)
- Parents who read to their children
before they enter school give their children a boost toward reading
success. Talking to children about books and stories read to them also
supports reading achievement. (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. 1996.
Developing Engaged Readers in School and Home Communities.
Rahway, N.J.: Author.)
- The earlier that parent involvement
begins in a child’s educational process, the more powerful the effects.
(Kathleen Cotton and Karen Reed Wikelund. “Parent Involvement in
Education,” Research You Can Use. NW Regional Educational
Laboratory.)
- Positive results of parental
involvement in their children’s schooling include improved achievement,
reduced absenteeism, improved behavior, and restored confidence among
parents in their children’s schooling. (Institute for Responsive
Education. The Home-School Connection: Selected Partnership Programs
in Large Cities. Boston: Author.)
National Education Association
Communication, May 2002 |