Why You Matter - The Importance of Parental Involvement

Increasing parent involvement in the education of their children is a necessary component of any successful school. The degree that teachers and administrators can actively involve parents in the educational process will be the degree of success of the school. When parents understand that there are concrete strategies they can easily employ to help their children learn, they are more likely to become involved. If parents become involved in supporting the classroom effort, teaching becomes easier and learning more effective.

“Researchers, school administrators, teachers, and parents overwhelmingly agree that the more parents get involved with education, the more likely their children will excel in school.”

-Phillip Vasallo, Empowering Parents Through School Choice

There is no doubt that parental involvement is one of the cornerstones of academic achievement. A major part of this includes the amount of input you have into the education they receive. Ideally, each child will receive instruction appropriate to their situation, and parental involvement is a key element of their education.

Each year we read the statistics about our poor performance versus the rest of the developed world. Instead of accepting this situation we must demand higher achievement. We must work with our children, teachers and elected officials to reverse this course. Our involvement as parents is a key part of this equation.

How are we different? For instance, in Japan when a child turns six his education becomes the parent’s top responsibility; when our children turn six they are turned over to the education system and their future is more likely than not entrusted to the teachers.

Parents can turn the trend in America around. The importance of parental involvement is clear. Some examples:

“When schools, families, and communities work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more.”

- Study from the National Center for Family and Community Connections

“The evidence is consistent, positive, and convincing: families have a major influence on their children’s achievement in school and through life.”

- National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools, A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement

We owe it to our children and community to make sure our schools are the best they can be, and that our children excel and use their talents to the best of their ability. We must remain vigilant to ensure we are not placed at the sidelines, but are active participants in the education of our children. The danger is best summed up by education writer Phillip Vasallo:

“During the past 20 years, researchers have published dozens of studies documenting what common sense has long held: there is a clear link between parental involvement in a child’s studies and student achievement. However, the government-run system of K-12 schools has done little to put that important research in practice. In most areas, government still assigns children to particular schools, and school boards and bureaucrats control textbooks, curriculum, and other central aspects of a child’s education. Perhaps for that reason, teachers, administrators, and education journalists have tended to view parents as little more than monitors for class trips, coordinators of cookie sales, and boosters for athletic events.”

- More Than Grades: How Choice Boost Parental Involvement and Benefits Children

Don’t stand on the sidelines – click here to join P.E.E.R. and support your child’s education today.