Parental involvement is a key ingredient to a child’s success at school

There has long been a recognition that a strong parent-child relationship is key to the overall well-being of a child. A positive attachment with parents helps promote children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development and assists them to exhibit positive social behaviours and become better problem-solvers.

The challenge, however, is that modern family life has become increasingly more stressful. The spiralling cost of living means that few families are in a position where one parent can be a stay-at-home parent and focus their attention solely on raising their children, as was the case in previous generations.

Parents are busier than ever and often overwhelmed by the challenge of balancing increasingly constrained finances with ballooning expenses. Combine this with blurred lines between work and home given the work from home trend and the proliferation of social media platforms acting as a further demand on parents’ time, and it’s perhaps no surprise that some parents are spending less quality time with their children.

It’s not only parents who are spending more of their time on social media and devices. Children are being allowed access to mobile devices such as tablets and cellphones from a younger and younger age. All too often, parents are not monitoring the time spent on these devices or the content they are accessing, which has opened the door to a myriad of complexities, including allowing children to access inappropriate content or become victims of cyberbullying.

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Modern families often no longer fit the mould of a traditional nuclear unit with a growing number of single-parent families, separated parents, and mixed families with children from different parents living together. This adds a changed dynamic to the home lives of many children.

Responsibility of Home vs School

Unfortunately, too many parents have abdicated responsibility for raising their children and instead adopted the view that schools are solely responsible for the holistic upbringing of their children, including teaching them manners, morals, and values and providing spiritual guidance. What these parents don’t realise is that children mirror and mimic what they see at home and unless these behaviours are taught, modelled, and reinforced in the home environment, children will be unlikely to adopt them at school.

Similarly, parents need to portray school in a positive light to their children if they want them to approach school life with a positive attitude. When parents expose their children to negative sentiments about their children’s school it inadvertently teaches them to disrespect school and figures of authority. To foster an attitude of respect and encourage a spirit of cooperation, parents need to speak positively and encouragingly about their child’s school and teachers.

Parental Involvement and Playing An Active Role 

For children to reach their full potential requires that parents be present and involved in their children’s lives. In addition to playing an active role in their child’s school life and activities, they need to proactively manage the time their children spend on electronic devices, monitor what they’re doing on these devices, and encourage them to be open about their digital experiences.

From a Teacher’s Perspective

As a former teacher, I saw first hand the positive impact that active parental involvement had on children, including better academic performance, greater self-confidence, and more cooperation. Several research studies confirm my anecdotal evidence. The biggest predictor of student achievement, transcending both family income and social status, is the creation of a home environment that encourages learning; communicating high, yet reasonable expectations for achievement; and staying involved in a child’s education at school.

Parents therefore need to make an effort to attend parent evenings and show up at meetings with teachers, sports events, and cultural showcases. In addition to getting involved with the school as much as possible, on the home front, they need to prioritise learning, reading with children, helping them with their homework, and establishing routines that enable children to complete their homework, read independently, and get sufficient sleep. Discuss school events and what’s going on at school. Maintain open lines of communication with teachers and let them know if problems or issues arise. 

The research is very clear: children with parents who are supportive and involved in their school lives tend to flourish and succeed.

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