There is growing evidence that schools can make a difference in the development of a child. But can the schools do the whole job alone? What is the role of the parents? Parents are crucial assets in a child’s academic life. What are ways to get parents to assist their child at home, will the parents’ assistance with reading increase the child’s reading performance at school?
Review of the Literature
Brock & Edmunds (2010) noted that parental involvement had always been assessed and viewed through the perspectives of teachers and/ or students. The elements of this study were to get parents’ viewpoints, to identify what is important in the teacher- parent- student relationship; to define parental involvement as the various activities that contribute to (a) Home School Communication (HSC); and/or (b) Learning at Home (LH); gain a better understanding of parental involvement and identify barriers regarding to parental involvement during intermediate years grades 7 and 8 (Brock & Edmunds, 2010). The research question in the article is: What are the barriers and opportunities of parental involvement? Two schools from Ontario were selected for the study, two hundred forty- five parents of seventh and eighth grade students in the two schools were asked to take part in responding to a Home- School Survey (HSS), a total of 116 parents replied to the survey. The Home- School Survey (HSS) was constructed based on two most influential factors affecting parental involvement: Home School Communication (HSC) and Learning at Home (LH). The two most prevalent barriers to parental involvement revealed from the Home School Survey (HSS) were the timeframe less time and conflict with work schedules. According to Brock & E...
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... are engaged in their children’s learning. School Community Journal, Vol.13, No.1, p. 35-64. Lincoln, USA: Academic Development Institute. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.cu-portland.edu/education/docview/195470040/13F2222FA25334551A2/5?accountid=10248
Musti- Rao, S. & Cartledge, G. (2004). Making home an advantage in the prevention of reading failure: strategies for collaborating with parents in urban schools. Preventing School Failure, Summer 2004, Vol. 48, Issue 4, p. 15- 21. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cu-portland.edu/ehost/results?sid=f9141665-1fc1-46be-a94c-535071d4fe4a%40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=28&bquery=Making+Home+an+Advantage+in+the+Prevention+of+Reading+Failure%3a+Strategies+for+Collaborating+With+Parents+in+Urban+Schools&bdata=JmRiPWVmdCZkYj1laGgmY2xpMD1GVCZjbHYwPVkmdHlwZT0xJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d
School is not compulsory and parents are not bound by law to send their children there. Parents are bound by law to educate their children but that doesn’t necessarily have to be in school (Mountney 13). Making sure that children can read, write, and learn basic skills is a task that parents should support. Children can learn different matters now, compliments of the internet. Public libraries and local museums Students are engaged in learning because the curriculum is selected specifically for each individual and is based on interests and needs (Butler
Reading, writing, math, science, and other skills learned in school are instrumental for a child to have in order to be successful both in higher education and in life. Many factors contribute to a student’s acquisition of these skills such as their learning environment, preschool education, mental and emotional development, parental involvement, and dedication to learning. The issue that many young children are facing, however, is that all of these factors can be greatly influenced by the Socioeconomic Status (SES) of their family. Unfortunately, up until recently it was virtually unknown how teachers could help these “at risk” children, which caused an increase in the likelihood of children dropping out of school or repeating a grade. However, it is now becoming clear that there are ways that educators can help ensure children have successful academic careers and lead better lives.
One of the primary causes of a failing education system is the insufficient amount of support from parents to improve education. For instance, majority of parents who send their children to impoverished schools are not playing an active role in their children’s education. Consequently, there are many factors that keep parents away from supporting their children’s educational needs. Parents may be working more than one job to maintain a roof...
There are many styles of parent involvement and parenting styles. Parental involvement includes attending school functions, helping with homework, or simply showing interest in what is occurring in school. Parental involvement is also both social aspects and intellectually stimulating activities beyond schoolwork. Parental involvement has different components including: parent-child relationship, aspirations and expectations a parent has for their child, and parental involvement within the school. (Hoang)
Olsen, Glenn W., and Mary Lou Fuller. Home and school relations: teachers and parents working together. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print.
A child’s first teacher is his or her mother and father. As a parent, involvement in the education process in the early years includes engaging the child through age appropriate games, regular reading, and simply interacting on a daily basis. A child that is engaged in this way are set up to develop into students who succeed academically. Once that child attends school, parental involvement shows that the parent places value on education. Furthermore, “staying connected to the classroom gives you ideas of how to expand what she learns at school,” (Driscoll & Nagel, 2010) thus providing parents with additional tools to implement in the home to continue the teaching process even after the school day has ended.
U.S. Department of Education, Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC)(1995). Teachers school-to-home communications and parent involvement: The role of parent perceptions and beliefs (Report 28). Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED383451.pdf
Wilson, G. (2011, March 1). Parental Engagement- Oxford School Improvement. Retrieved March 20, 2012, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqxYooapk6k
School was designed to equally teach all children not only book knowledge but also offer practice in cooperation with others on a social scale. The home was designed to teach children right from wrong, to respect and obey authority, and how to socially function properly with others. Sadly, the parents ...
Hickman, C. W., Greenwood, G. E., & Miller, M. D. (1995). High school parent involvement: Relationships with achievement, grade level, SES, and gender. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 28, 125-134.
The support of a parent is the single most important factor in predicting success in school for young children (Bourquin). Parents who make it a point to get involved with the child’s education are communicating the importance of education to their child (Heffer). There are a variety of ways in which a parent can get involved. This can range from at home help and encouragement with homework, attending athletic ...
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.
To conclude, my research shows a clear link between parental involvement and children performing better in school. Children who's parents are involved in their education are showing better performance and are achieving higher grades. They also show better behaviour, more enthusiasm, ambition and higher levels of engagement. compared with children who's parent are not involved in their education. My research also shows that parental involvement has great benefits for both children and parents in many ways, so much so that the most effective schools are those who encouraged parents to be involved.
Have you heard the old adage, “It takes a village to raise a child?” Even in today’s busy world where villages are almost nonexistent and neighborhoods aren’t as closely knit as they once were, this saying holds true. The same principle applies to your child’s education—it takes more than a good school to educate children, just as takes more than a good home to make children well adjusted. It takes community, teachers, and it takes YOU!
Some parents think that once their children are at school, they can relax and let the education system take control. But this is not the case at all. As research shows, parents have an even greater influence on their children’s academic results than the school does. Most of a child’s ability to communicate, to relate to teachers and peers and their attitude to learning, is formed from home. Parents can help give their children a head start, by beginning their education at home.