Getting Parents Involved with Schools

It is very important for parents to get involved with their child's education. When this happens there are rewarding results. A child not only needs the support from the teacher, but the support and help from their parents. It is common for children to hate getting up in the morning and going to school. If Parents are involved with school activities it shows that they are interested in their child's education and that going to school is an important thing. Research has shown that children do better academically, emotionally, and socially when their parents are involved with school activities. Schools struggle to get parents involved because parents just don't seem to want to participate. They say they don't have the time or energy and might not feel comfortable being around a school. Some parents just might not know how exactly to get involved. It is important to know about successful parent involvement. This is defined as the ongoing active participation of a parent in the education of their child. Involvement does not have to be anything drastic. This can include helping with homework, attending school functions, volunteering, or even discussing school related events. there are a few ways in which schools can get parents involved. The first is through communication. This is the major factor. One reason for lack of parent involvement is the lack of information. Schools need to actually make contact with parents through phone call, in person, letters, and they need to talk to them reasonably with out using educational terms. Parents want to know what their children are learning how they can help in school and at home. If teacher regularly keep in touch with the parent by giving them all the necessary information I'm sure a lot more parents will be helping out. Another way to get parents involved is though accommodation. Parents need to know that schools are sensitive about there demands and needs. Teachers should be cooperative and try to work around parents work schedules, so they can be involved with meetings and conferences. Teachers also need to let parents know that their involvement doesn't have to a time consuming hectic process. Lastly schools need to be resourceful. Parents who actually want to learn more and become involved with school activities and their child's education should be given resources by the school. An example of this could be providing a resource center for parents with brochures, tips, textbooks, or even Cd's. Anything to help parents become more aware. At schools, sessions can be provided to also help children with homework, study skills, child care, or other opportunities that parents can be involved in. Along with the support from the school and teachers parents can play a huge role in the success of children's education and the best part will be seeing the smile on their children's face.

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