A partnership between teachers and families helps develop successful and well-rounded students. This partnership provides students with more opportunities to learn and grow from a larger range of viewpoints and life experiences. Through open communication and collaboration, parents and teachers create important opportunities for teens to develop social, emotional, and academic skills. School involvement makes a difference.
When teachers and families partner together to support student achievement, students earn higher grades, attend school more regularly, and enroll in higher level courses. This collaboration also fosters more motivated students. Young people maintain higher educational aims and lower rates of dropout. Students with involved parents have better attendance, complete more homework, and have higher enrollment in educational opportunities after high school. Parents can participate at school by helping with functions and activities, or communicating with teachers. They can also be involved at home in many ways, including guiding their children to manage homework and other commitments and engaging in discussions about values and attitudes regarding education.
A school-family partnership does more than enhance academic achievement.When parents and teachers work together, students report higher levels of motivation and self-esteem. Students also develop key social and emotional learning skills, such as self-awareness, relationship building, and responsible decision-making. Young people develop these skills when programs are coordinated across settings, including home and school. When families and educators work together, they reinforce the kind of behaviors and skills young people need to become successful adults.
The reality is that not all schools have the same resources. But the good news is that parental involvement makes a real difference in schools everywhere. We hope for a nation in which all young people have schools with the resources needed to educate and prepare youth. Whether your school has all it needs or deserves more, involved parents make a difference.
There are many potentia roadblocks for family engagement in schools. Common reasons include demanding work schedules that allow little time for volunteering, discomfort communicating with school officials due to cultural or language barriers, and difficulty with transportation or childcare. School budget cuts and stretched resources may leave teachers, counselors, and administrators less time to create effective systems for family involvement. But when parents are able to get involved, their participation can help schools make the most of existing resources. And there are many ways for parents to stay involved in their children’s education that don’t require a trip to the school!