Parental Involvement In Education: Barriers, Benefits, Solutions

The phrase "parental involvement in education" is a very broad one, and deliberately so, because the range of options for parental inclusion in the learning of their children is huge.

The positive benefits for students of parental involvement can come from regular parent-teacher communication, parental help with student homework, talking about schools with the children, right through to expanding the home environment and experience to encourage learning -- reading to kids, making books available, taking trips to the library.

The NEA summarizes some of the benefits of parental involvement as follows:

When parents talk to their children about school, expect them to do well, make sure that out-of-school activities are constructive, and help them plan for college, their children perform better in school.

When schools engage families in ways that improve learning and support parent involvement at home and school, students make greater gains. When schools build partnerships with families that respond to parent concerns, honor their contributions, and share decision-making responsibilities, they are able to sustain connections that are aimed at improving student achievement.

Every party to the educational endeavor has both responsibilities and roles to play in bringing parents "into" the educational process, and into the learning of children- parents, teachers, local school administrators, school board officials, and even local community groups.

Below you'll find more resources on the barriers to involvement, and how all of these parties can move forward to increase levels of parental involvement in the learning of their children.

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