Parent Involvement in Education

Should parents be more involved in their child's education? Researchers say that they should, and I agree. Parents should become involved in their child's education at the earliest point possible because the earlier they start, the more powerful the effects will be on the child. The best thing a parent can do for their child's education is to help them learn additional materials at home or to assist them with their school work. There are also many other types of parental involvement. Children who read for their parents and have books read to them by parents excel in reading and writing. There had been a general pattern observed by researchers of parents who are involved with their child's education. The parents tend to follow a family oriented routine daily, they make sure their children have supervised care when they are out of the house, and they also don't set unrealistic goals for their children.

Looking at a child's education, you can tell if their parents are involved or not because there is such a drastic difference. When parents are involved a child has a lower risk of using drugs and alcohol, they are less likely to become involved in violent behavior, they have a better attendance record, and their test scores are higher. Students who have their parents involved in their education are also much more likely to graduate.

After viewing the research that has been done on parental involvement it is very evident to me that it does have an effect on the child's education. If parents are not involved in their child's education, it seems to me that the child may see this as a sign that their parent doesn't care about them. I can also see a child thinking, "well if my parents care about my education, why should I," and then dropping out of school. When I was younger and my parents used to come into my school to see all my work and say how proud they were I remember the feeling really great about myself and wanting to continue in school so I could create more great work. As a teacher I really hope I can witness this happen between my students and their parents and if I don't see it, I definitely will help as much as I can to get the parents more involved in their child's education.