Parent Involvement - Secret to Education Success

Parent involvement is important in your child's education no matter what level of education you may have.  Parents that are involved shows their children that education is important.  The bottom line is to remove as many obstacles from your child doing well in school. Here are some examples on how you can get involved:

At Home Basics:

• Make sure they do their homework;
• Make sure they go to sleep early every night;
• Create a routine where the entire family reads every night (link);
• Control the amount of TV and video games they play during the school week;
• Remove the TV from their bedrooms;
• Eat dinner together as a family and discuss current events; 

Homework Help:
Never do your child's homework, instead help them understand the homework assignment. Also focus on what your child is doing and learning instead of being only focused on performance.  There’s a big difference between a parent who’s focused on what the child is doing — that is, on the learning itself — and a parent who’s focused on how well the child is doing.  To ask “So, what’s your theory about why World War One started?” or “If you had written that story, would you have left the character wondering what happened, the way the author did?” represents a kind of engagement that promotes critical thinking and enthusiasm about learning.  To ask “Why only a B+ is a kind of engagement that undermines both of these things.

• Help them understand the homework;
• Get them a tutor to catch up and get ahead;

At school:
Many parents work so it is not possible to volunteer at the local school.  Parents should go to the school for meetings and get information.  No question is stupid.  Ask as many questions as you can until you understand.  Here are some examples:

• Attend parent teacher conferences;
• Pick up report cards;
• Meet with a counselor;
• Get help for your child;
• Sign up for free breakfast and lunch (must be income qualified);
• Attend workshops like "how to get into college.";
• Help your child enroll into a community college or university (especially if its your first child);