Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Parent involvement in child’s education: causes & effects essay
the importance of parental involvement in children's education
the importance of parental involvement in children's education
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Discussions continue about improving the U.S. public education system. One question which is frequently overlooked is: What is the role of parents in education? There are a variety of thoughtful and interesting conversations about everything from resource allocation, to the impact of race on educational achievement, to the most effective uses of technology, to redefining education to meet the needs of the 21st century – topical and relevant discussions that never seem to include parents. Parents aren’t completely ignored, but more often than not, the role they play isn’t a substantive part of the discussion. Their involvement becomes a less than critical part of any proposed solution. I believe we can make the argument that a significant part of the solution to the educational challenges we face requires meaningful parent involvement, not just lip service. In all fairness, however, meaningful parent involvement can be tough. Schools are faced with federal regulations that require it (Title I, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act); there is solid evidence that when parents are involved there is a strong, lasting connection to academic achievement, and particularly for children at high risk. Many of these children have parents who themselves were unsuccessful in school; for these children, parent engagement is a real challenge. For parents, it is generally easier when children are younger; content is easier, and schools (and children) seem a bit more welcoming to parents being involved. As children grow, however, the content becomes more difficult, schools and children are much less welcoming to parent involvement, and parents are left with just asking questions: “How was school today?” and/or “Did you do your homework?” Of course, all this doesn’t even consider the issue of parents working multiple jobs who struggle with finding time for involvement in their child’s education. More regulations and legal structures are not necessarily the answer either. There is a subset of children, those with disabilities, who have federal protections mandating significant parental involvement. Unfortunately, those regulations often create a contentious, rather than cooperative, relationship between parents and teachers and school administrators. When it comes to parental involvement, most people agree with the “why”; it’s the “how” that poses the challenge. The vast majority of parents want to be involved, but face significant barriers in doing so. The vast majority of schools welcome parent involvement, but with short parent meetings (for which both sides struggle to find time), it’s hard to know exactly what to do.
“Parent involvement," a term researchers use to describe the interest family takes in a child 's education, is of special interest to educators who encourage parents to help kids at home with homework and projects. School districts also focus on methods to encourage parents to view the school as an important part of family life as children grow. Theories on parent involvement explore the links between family and school interaction and attempt to identify the reasons for high and low parent participation (Ryan, 2015).
One may ask, if the benefits of parent-school involvement are positive, then why are parents not becoming involved? DePlanty, Coulter-Kern, & Duhcan (2007) noticed research in 1987 reported that as children grow older (i.e. reaching pre-teens), parent involvement begins to steadily decline at home and in the school. Parents report that their involvement in middle and high school are not as important as elementary school for growth development. This also correlates with the belief that adolescents want independence, which causes the level of parent involvement to drop-off (DePlanty et al.,
There are usually many opportunities that parents can be involved in at a child 's school or at home, such as participating in school events, participating in parent-teacher communication, setting high-expectations for their child, discussing learning activities, participating in school level governing or decision making roles, and creating strong parent networks with other parents of children at their child 's school or community (Desimone, 2001). In stating all of these “solutions” parents of poverty might find them overwhelming so it could just be them choosing to do one or two at the least. It has been shown that the more the parent is involved in a child 's education the better chance the child has at being successful. For example, when it comes to parent teacher communication a parent could do something as simple as write a note to the teacher discussing how they feel (questions, comments, concerns). Another example, could be the parent having and starting a conversation with their child about what their child is learning that day in school, or every day. Parents of poverty needed to be welcomed in to schools by everyone. Parents need to have a sense of some “power” and say over their child 's education because when they are completely “out of the picture” that 's when it becomes even harder for a child to be
Parent involvement is a major topic of concern among policy makers, educators, and researchers (Brooks-Gunn, Duncan, & Maritato, 1997; Rouse & Barrow, 2006; Young, Austin, & Growe, 2013) for more than 20 years. School districts, educational leaders, and researchers all agree with the premise that strong school-family partnerships improve children’s learning and outcomes. Parents and schools, separately or together, represent noteworthy influences on the essential sources of support for children’s learning and development. Children develop within multiple contexts, and development and learning are optimal when effective networks and permanencies among these systems are created. Semke and Sheridan (2012) affirm methods
This website magazine article informs the viewer on why parent involvement in schools are important, and what parents and teachers can do to become involved in the schools.
...school functions. Children perceive parental guidance as a good thing and enjoy working with parents at home as well as occasional visits to schools. Parents can take advantage of certain strategies that their kids can benefit from. These ultimately lead to better academic society and better behaved kids. As I am looking back on my childhood and early school career I now realize how great of a family I had. The parents that supported me and helped me through school has given me opportunities that might not be had I had less supportive parents. Because of my parent’s dedication to my education, I in turn am able to make education a main focus and a tool to a successful life. This will be a great benefit that I hope parents realize is important. I hope education about parental involvement can be spread so the barriers that slow parental involvement can be stopped.
Parental involvement promotes the social growth of a child. Children whose parents are involved in their education have many advantages. They have better grades, test scores, long-term academic achievement, attitudes and behavior than those with disinterested mothers and fathers (Gestwicki, 2001). Parents becoming involved in their child's schooling creates extra sources of social constraint to influence the child's behavior (McNeal, 2001). For example, parents talking to their children and becoming involved in the school conveys a message to the child of education being important. Parents should be talking with your children's teacher and letting her know about your family. The more she knows about your child, the better she will be able to connect with your child.
Parent involvement affects all aspects of a child’s education. Parents must be involved as teachers, learners, supporters, and advocates of their child’s learning (Hopkings). Studies show that kids who know that their parents are involved and interested tend to take more responsibility for their own learning and behavior. Schoolwork and grades improve. Work habits improve. Less work is handed in late. Fewer referrals for behavior problems are made. Attendance increases, and fewer kids show up late for class (Hopkings). With all this information documented it shows the true importance of parent involvement in education. The more involved the parents are, the better off each child will be. So when you become a parent, get involved in your child’s education!
Research shows that children do better in school when parents talk often with teachers and become involved. Kids whose parents interact with teachers usually get higher grades and test scores, develop positive attitudes about school, and are better behaved. Parents and teachers need to communicate on a regular basis, not just at parent/teacher conferences. But sometimes, a parent doesn’t know just how to go about getting involved or how to make that positive connection with the teacher and/or school.
Parents are an important ingredient to the perfect education. Parents who aren't involved in their children's education only impede the efforts made by teachers and students to create a good education. These parents are oftentimes uninterested with their children's education as a whole. To achieve perfection in the educational system, parents have to take an active role in that education. Parents who don't include themselves in their children's education aren't always informed about the student's progress, aren't aware of the current curriculum, and don't have any idea of the student's strengths and weaknesses in school. An involved parent is informed and sometimes included in the decision-making process. Parents who take an active role are kept informed of the progress made by their children. The parents know the curriculum and assist the children with their nightly studies, and can discuss their children's feelings about education.
When asked what I believed to be the greatest challenge for schools today the first thoughts that came to mind were problems such as low salary, diversity in the classroom, and changes in curriculum. As I thought further I realized that those problems are microscopic compared to the problem that the schools face with attempting to get parents involved. I am a huge advocate for the phrase “education starts at home” and I personally believe that the success of a student, not only in the classroom but life in general, truly depends on the support system that they have around them. A student must be continuously reminded that education is important in and outside of the classroom.
A lot of children have two main educators in their life; their parents and their teachers. Parents are their first educators, the majority of what a child learns in the first few years of their life is taught by their parents. It is only when the child starts to attend an early years setting that they start to learn from another educator. Both parents and teachers continue being a major influence on their children's learning all throughout school and for the rest of their lives. The parents and the child's school both have important roles to play in the child's education and should therefore work together as a team. Parents can get involved in many different ways such as; getting involved with the school itself by helping in the classroom or supervising lunch and break times, or for those parents who work in the day and cannot find the time to help at the school they can get involved by; reading to their child at home, assisting with homework and other learning activities, teaching them songs or nursery rhymes and letting them help with everyday tasks like cooking, baking and chores. This can be categorised as: Involvement of parents in the school life or involvement of parents in supporting the individual child at home.
Around twenty years ago the National Center for Education Statistics asked, “What are the Most Serious Problems in Schools”. I will link to every article referenced at the end of this newsletter. Parent involvement was a much larger issue in public schools. I think this shows it often is not the parent’s fault they are not more involved. Financial motives often can be cited by parents who don’t attend their students’ events. In Public Schools teachers said parent involvement was a serious problem: 25.5% overall, 20.6% in Elementary School, and 30.7% in High School. In contrast the Private School
This way, parents could recognize deeper about the school and their children’s performance in school. As John H. Wherry notes, “Families have never participated in (school-related) meetings/committees and are unaware of the importance of their role. Families are unaware of opportunities to participate as well as applicable procedures and policies. Some parents have language barriers. Staff are not ready to work with families in new ways. Schools do not provide practical advice to parents about what they can do to help children learn. Schools do not alert parents as soon as their child begins to have problems.” (The Barriers to Parental Involvement – And What Can be Done: A Research Analysis, 2009, p.1). The issue of lacking parental engagement is because parents are not realizing enough about inside of the school, and the reason is that there are no places or times to let the parents watch their children’s performance in school directly, and it is very difficult have all the parents to participate in school meetings by various problems. Having an assembly hall and engaging with the teachers and children together could give parents more information about the school make them easier to engage with their children’s
Parent involvement is one of the most influential aspects of student motivation. The parents are the initial teachers of the child before the child goes to school and encounters education through a teacher. If a parent is completely engaged in the learning process with a child, there can be growth between the child and the parent simultaneously. The parents set an example for the child, so that the child understands that help is in the classroom and at home. Alma Wright, a first and second grade teacher, believes that parents in the classroom are a good way to stimulate children. She says, “Their active participation is a positive influence. The school is open for parents to share their talents and motivate their children” (Drew, Olds, and Olds, 1974, p. 71).