What is the greatest determining factor to academic achievement? The school’s prestige? The socioeconomic status of the child’s family? No, it is neither of those. The extent to which parents become involved in their child’s education is the biggest predictor of academic success for a student.
It’s true! Parental involvement in a child’s education is pivotal and crucial. When the parent of a child becomes involved in their learning, the following occurs:
- The child develops a lifelong love of learning
- To finish their assignments, students have the knowledge and home support needed
Teachers have noticed that by encouraging parent engagement, profound classroom changes are taking place. The more involved parents are, the better the grades, behavior, and motivation of the entire class.
Parent Engagement – What Is It?
What does it mean to be engaged in your child’s learning? Here’s a quick definition of parent engagement: Teachers and parents share the responsibility of assisting a child in meeting educational goals and learning.
Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? That means, however, parents need to be involved in school volunteering, events, meetings, etc. A commitment must be made. Much in the same way that, when you decided to have a child, you made a commitment. Now, for the benefit of your child, a new commitment should be made. Commit to parental engagement where your child’s schooling and/or education is concerned.
The Importance of Parental Involvement
When parents are more engaged in a child’s learning, the children are far more likely to:
- Have better classroom behavior and social skills
- Develop self-motivation and self-confidence in the classroom
- Graduate from high school
- Attend college or some type of post-high school learning
- Earn higher test scores and/or grades
These children are less likely to:
- Develop behavioral issues
- Need classroom redirection
- Have low self-esteem
How to Encourage Parent Engagement
Teachers, to encourage parent partnerships, check out these parent engagement strategies:
- Some parents may feel inhibited. Address challenges like an intimidating atmosphere, scheduling conflicts, etc.
- As much as possible, connect person-to-person with parents. So, for upcoming class events, they’re kept up to date, use apps, texts, emails, and more.
- With parents, share your classroom expectations or goals and ask them to share with you, as well.
- So they can connect better with the school, provide ample opportunities for parents. Great engagement opportunities consist of parent-teacher committees, class activities, volunteer shifts, and more.
- Early in the school year, get to know the parents. If you so choose, give them your contact information. This way, they’ll feel more comfortable reaching out to you when they have questions.
Homeschooling – The Best Way to Be Involved in Your Child’s Learning
There’s no better way to be involved in your child’s learning than to be the one teaching them! Homeschooling is preferred by many families today over conventional schools for any number of reasons. Some people fear for the safety of their child due to bullying, guns in schools, drugs/alcohol availability, etc. Some children have unique learning styles and homeschooling allows them the opportunity to experience a teaching style more appropriate for their style of learning.
At NFC Academy, we provide accredited home school programs for grades K through 12. For grades K through 5, we offer book homeschool programs, and for grades 3 through 12, online homeschool programs.
Give your child a world-class at-home education. Contact us at NFC Academy. Speak to a member of our staff at (888) 960-4624 or fill out our convenient online form to request information.