Becoming Actively Involved in Your Child’s Education

There is one common denominator beginning to take a more prominent role in the field of education; whether a child attends government, private or home school: the active involvement of parents in the educational system. Parental involvement in education can take on many forms and occurs at varying levels.

According to the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NREL), research shows that when a parent is involved in a child’s education from an early age, the child is more likely to be successful in his educational pursuits. Research further shows the more a parent is involved in a child’s learning the bigger the effects are. This is true no matter the type of parental involvement or the age of the child.

Parental Involvement In Home-Based Learning

According to NREL, the most positive impact of parental involvement in education is where a parent is directly involved in her child’s education by working with her child in the home on guided learning activities. They see parents taking an active role in reading programs, homework assignments and or tutoring. Passive vs. Active Involvement in a Child’s EducationThere are many other ways parents can get involved in their child’s educational career and researchers have noted active involvement to show greater results than simply receiving phone calls or signing reports;It is true that a child whose parents attend teacher conferences and sign letters from the school will do better than a child whose parents lack any formal involvement. But the biggest benefit can be seen when parents work with their child at home as well as at school. According to NREL, the earlier in a child’s academic career parental involvement begins the bigger the effects on the child’s grades, attitude and will to learn.Getting Involved in A Child’s EducationThere are some simple and effective ways for parents to get involved with their child’s education, including but certainly not limited to:    * Volunteering in the child’s classroom one or two days a month
    * Attending fieldtrips and special events with the child’s class
    * Setting aside family reading time for 30 minutes a night
    * Visiting local museums, book stores and or art galleries as well as traveling exhibitsInvolved parent offers a child the opportunity for academic success in a nurturing, caring and comfortable environment.Lahoma Williams is an independent Columnist who specializes in Childhood Education and Development.
For questions, please email her at  director@hurghadaamericanpreschool.com