Parental Involvement and Your Child's Education

Note: This week's Glencoe Classical Academy and Glencoe Learning Center blogs discuss the same topic and contain much of the same information. However, the list of suggestions for parental involvement is tailored according to the age groups of each school.

Parental involvement is instrumental in a child’s education. Research has shown that children and families greatly benefit when parents play an active role in the classroom, the school, and other activities related to the children’s education. While being an engaged parent may mean sacrificing time and energy, the importance of that engagement cannot be expressed enough and the benefits that can be reaped are often too numerous to list.

By volunteering in their child’s classroom and school, parents may benefit in ways such as the following:

1. The parents develop a closer relationship with the child’s teacher and the school’s administration, resulting in better communication among them.

2. The parents gain a better understanding of (and appreciation for) their child’s daily routine and the daily activities their children experience within the classroom.

3. The parents are better able to understand the expectations and standards the teacher and school have for the child.

4. The parents are able to experience first-hand their child’s response to his or her surroundings, teacher, and classmates.

Parental involvement can affect a child in many positive ways such as the following:

1. The child will develop a greater appreciation for his or her education and the efforts of the teacher and parents.

2. If the parents’ attitudes regarding the time they spend volunteering at the school are positive, the child may also develop a good attitude. Additionally, a child’s attitude is frequently exhibited in his or her behavior. The better the attitude, the better the behavior.

3. If the parents encourage students to uphold the classroom and school standards while volunteering, the child will be more apt to obey the classroom and school standards even when the parents aren’t present.

4. If a child sees his or her parents positively interacting with the teacher and administrators, he or she will likely treat those people with the same amount of respect that the parents do.

Below are some suggestions parents can consider when seeking ways to become more actively engaged in their child’s education.

1. Conversation between parents and children about the school-day allow parents to stay informed and show interest in their children’s education.

2. Parents can take an active role in the daily activities of the child’s class. If the child has take-home work and or other at-home projects, the parents can assist the child and help reinforce the concepts being taught at school. A daily homework routine allows parents and students to remain accountable and informed.

3. Volunteer time in the classroom. Parents can volunteer to help with a particular area of interest such as reading or crafts.

4. Parents can volunteer to help during lunch and playground time or even naptime.

5. Teachers spend a great deal of time creating lesson plans, making copies, and organizing the paperwork; parents can help lighten this load by volunteering to copy and organize worksheets and assignments.

6. In an effort to keep the children healthy, toys and books are continually being sanitized and cleaned. This can be time-consuming and is often difficult for teachers to do while tending to the students. Parents could be a tremendous help by volunteering to help in this area.

7. Special events and musical performances are a great undertaking in planning, practice, and execution, but they provide yet another opportunity for parents to be involved.

8. Volunteers could be helpful in the school office by answering the telephone, making copies, filing paperwork, or in a number of other ways.

Any parent interested in volunteering at Glencoe Learning Center is encouraged to contact his or her child’s teacher or the school administration.