THE IMPORTANCE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Parent involvement in children’s education allows students to perform better in school and more easily navigate some of the challenges of growing up.

Research shows that family involvement promotes student success. Students with involved parents are more likely to:

• Earn higher grades and pass their classes,
• Attend school regularly and have better social skills,
• Go on to postsecondary education.

When families, schools and communities work together:

• Student achievement improves,
• Teacher morale rises,
• Communication increases,
• Family, school and community connections multiply.

School, family and community are important "spheres of influence" on children's development and a child's educational development is enhanced when these three environments work collaboratively toward shared goals.

Schools can create greater "overlap" between the school, home and community through the implementation of activities across six types of involvement: parenting, communication, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaboration with the community. By implementing activities across all six types of involvement, educators can help improve student achievement and experiences in school.

Students' homes and classrooms are the focal points of their learning experiences—from kindergarten through high school. Parents who work with teachers and students are critical partners in helping their child achieve success.

Parents set the example and the tone for their child's approach to education. When parents are engaged, interested and supportive in their child's learning, the child is more likely to succeed. Bridging the divide between what is learned in the classroom to how it is relevant in day-to-day life is a critical role for parents. It brings meaning to their child's learning experience.

Parents can make learning real and ensure that students understand the importance of achieving. Parental involvement includes a wide range of behaviours but generally refers to parents' and family members' use and investment of resources in their children's schooling. These investments can take place in or outside of school, with the intention of improving children's learning. Parental involvement at home can include activities such as discussions about school, helping with homework, and reading with children. Involvement at school may include parents volunteering in the classroom, attending workshops, or attending school plays and sporting events.

Some researchers have identified three dimensions of parental involvement based on how parent–child interactions affect students' schooling and motivation.
Behavioural involvement refers to parents' public actions representing their interest in their child's education, such as attending an open house or volunteering at the school.
Personal involvement includes parent–child interactions that communicate positive attitudes about school and the importance of education to the child.
Cognitive/intellectual involvement refers to behaviours that promote children's skill development and knowledge, such as reading books and going to museums.
Parental involvement, according to this theory, affects student achievement because these interactions affect students' motivation, their sense of competence, and the belief that they have control over their success in school.

Although all families want their children to succeed in school, not all families have the same resources or opportunities to be involved in their children's education.

Families in which all caregivers work full-time, where there are multiple children, or where English is not spoken or read well face significant barriers to participation in their children's education. It is important for schools to understand the demands that exist on the families of their students and to work to overcome them.

Schools can overcome these challenges by providing opportunities for school-to-home and home-to-school communications with families; providing communications to families in a language and at a reading level all families can understand; ensuring adequate representation of the entire community of parents on school advisory committees; and distributing information provided at workshops to the families who could not attend.

Schools that work to meet these challenges and try to make involvement easier and more convenient for all families will gain support from parents and improve student achievement.