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Education
The Benefits of Parent Involvement
The evidence is conclusive: when parents are involved in their children’s educations, their kids – and, indeed, the entire community – benefit.
In A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement, a review of 51 studies published between 1995 and 2002, Anne T. Henderson and Karen L. Mapp found that students with involved parents are more likely to:
- Earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs
- Be promoted, pass their classes and earn credits
- Attend school regularly
- Have better social skills, show improved behavior and adapt well to school
- Graduate and go on to post-secondary education
These outcomes held true regardless of the family’s income or background.
Here are some more detailed findings of major research on parent involvement, as compiled by the National Education Association:
- Three kinds of parental involvement at home are consistently associated with higher student achievement: actively organizing and monitoring a child’s time, helping with homework and discussing school matters.
- The earlier that parent involvement begins in a child’s educational process, the more powerful the effects.
- When parents are involved in school, children go farther in school – and the schools they attend are better.
- A home environment that encourages learning is more important to student achievement than income, education level or cultural background.
- Reading aloud to children is the most important activity that parents can engage in to help increase their child’s chance of reading success.
- Positive results of parental involvement include improved student achievement, reduced absenteeism, improved behavior, and restored confidence among parents in their children’s schooling.
For more information, visit the National Education Association’s Web site at www.nea.org. Information can also be found at www.ncpie.org, the Web site of the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education.
