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Parental Involvement In Learning

Author: robert | Posted: 27.07.2008 | Views: 36

Whether children attend public or private schools, they benefitwhen parents become involved in their education. According tothe National Institute for Literacy, when parents or otherfamily members frequently read to children enteringkindergarten, those children were at a distinct advantage overchildren whose families read to them less often.

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study found that "Children whowere read to at least three times a week by a family member werealmost twice as likely to score in the top 25 percent in readingthan children who were read to less than three times a week."The study also found that, of children who were read to at leastthree times a week:

* 76 percent had mastered the letter-sound relationship at thebeginning of words, compared to 64 percent of children who wereread to fewer than three times a week,

* 57 percent had mastered the letter-sound relationship at theend of words, compared to 43 percent who were read to fewer thanthree times a week,

* 15 percent had sight- word recognition skills, compared to 8percent who were read to fewer than three times a week, and

* 5 percent could understand words in context, compared to 2percent who were read to fewer than three times a week.

The positive impact of parental involvement in learning doesn'tend with kindergarten. Having a variety of reading materialsavailable at home helps older children with reading proficiency.The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) foundthat, among students in the fourth grade, "The 68% of studentswho had three or more different types of reading materials athome performed at the Proficient level, while students who hadtwo or fewer types of reading material at home performed at theBasic level. Students who had 4 types of reading material athome performed the highest."

Similarly, students who discussed their studies and who talkedabout reading at home had greater reading proficiency than thosewho did not. And students of all ages who regularly saw parentsand other family members reading at home were positivelyinfluenced.

In addition to having a variety of reading materials availableat home, discussing reading, and setting a good example byreading, there are a number of ways that parents can create andnurture a home learning environment. Although the TeachersInvolve Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS) program from the NationalNetwork of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University isdirected to teachers, it includes a number of excellentstrategies that parents can implement to become active in theirchildren's education.

Communicate: Regularly communicate with the teacher, either viaparent-teacher conferences, weekly progress reviews, or homeworkreviews. Talk with the child, and have them share theirschoolwork and school day experiences.

Volunteer: Volunteer to help out in the classroom or at otherschool activities.

Home Learning: Point out the links between schoolwork and reallife situations. Go on family outings that reinforce theconcepts being learned in school.

According to the National Education Association, parentalinvolvement in learning is crucial. As evidence, they cite thefollowing findings of research into parental involvement:

* When parents are involved in their children's education athome, they do better in school.

* And when parents are involved in school, children go fartherin school - and the schools they go to are better.

* The family makes critical contributions to student achievementfrom preschool through high school.

* A home environment that encourages learning is more importantto student achievement than income, education level or culturalbackground.

* Reading achievement is more dependent on learning activitiesin the home than in math or science.

* Reading aloud to children is the most important activity thatparents can do to increase their child's chance of readingsuccess. Talking to children about books and stories read tothem also supports reading achievement.

* When children and parents talk regularly about school,children perform better academically.

* Three kinds of parental involvement at home are consistentlyassociated with higher student achievement: actively organizingand monitoring a child's time, helping with homework anddiscussing school matters.

* The earlier the parent involvement begins in a child'seducational process, the more powerful the effects.

* Positive results of parental involvement include improvedstudent achievement, reduced absenteeism, improved behavior, andrestored confidence among parents in their children's schooling.

There are many ways that parents can become involved in theirchildren's education - the important thing is to become and stayinvolved

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