Parental Involvement in Children’s Education

Value of education and educating children is alike to all people including educated and uneducated people. Only vary the way individual acts to educate him/her and helps children to educate. Wherever the parents live or immigrate, the parents dream is to have a good education and good life for their children. Indeed, all parents have high expectations on their children. Questions are- how do the children would fulfill parent’s expectations? How would they fulfill their wishes to be when they will grow up? This article focuses and discusses the importance of parental involvement in children’s education, and personal growth, and shows the secret of parental involvement.
As the history of education across the world finds that education was only for wealthy people in order to run the country and run the businesses. In fact, educating children was very expensive for the poor parents. However, now-a-days, education is not only for rich people, it opens for all, though in reality is that education cost is high from early education to higher education. Every country has been giving priority to educate all citizens. Today, UN including many nations in the world proclaims- education is for all. Since late twenty-century, schools were the main learning center for children though it was believed that family is the first school for children. Parents believe that teachers are more educated, they know what to teach, how to teach, and they are professionals to teach their children. Today’s education systems and teaching and learning methods have changed lots in many countries due to socioeconomic, cultural, and political changes. Educators, teachers, and researchers find that school is not only places to educate children. Of course, school is very important place as it is a social institution and place of a human development workshop. Many countries across the world, the government emphasizes to bring all stakeholders together to educate citizens.
However, researchers find that parental involvement is the first priority to help children’s education besides teachers and school learning. No doubt that home is the first school for children. Children in school could earn higher achievement, when parents engage at home and school in children’s education. Numerous research studies have shown that those schools have more parental involvement in children’s education, those schools have high academic achievement and their children completed elementary, middle, and high school successfully, and went to college/university for higher education. Parental involvement in children’s education is very essential in children’s early age. All parents know this concept of education, but many of parents do not know how to help children in their education, because, parents do more than one job or busy with their personal things. From the early age, parental involvement is associated with their behavior development and higher student academic achievement outcomes.
In general understanding parents think that children will learn things according to their age. It is very true. But, do all parents know when do children learn and how do children learn things? It is very important to know for parents the psychology of learning of their children in order to be supportive for children’s growth and academic achievement. We live in a digital world. Children are more connected with technological world and different environment that parents grew up and live with. Even many parents did not experience with this kind of environment. Many time parents unaware about children’s education. Parents hesitate to talk about children’s school and learning. Moreover, children do not feel comfort to talk with their parents about their school, class works, and home works. Children feel that parents do not know the content knowledge and also do not know how to help to do home work and project. For example, once I asked a middle school student who immigrated in US five years ago with his parents. Some point we were taking about a school program and I asked him, why did not you take your parents at that event? “They would not understand this and they were at work,” the student replied. There is a huge lack of communication between children and parents concerning education. Parents must know and learn that the duty of parents is not only to feed, provide shelter, care, and love, buy things for them, give money for education, and so on. Educating children and helping children to search wisdom which is an enormous responsibility for parents. Living self and child without education is similar to who has eyes but lives blind.
So, how parents could be helpful for their children’s education? There are thousands of ways parents can help children in their formal and non-formal education. First things for parents need to be self-motivate to learn things, to help, be role model, self-discipline, hard work, create a home learning environment that encourages learning, express high realistic expectations for children’s achievement and future careers, become involved in their children’s education at school and in the community, and ready to scarify, then make a strategic plan with children what they want to be and make an action plan to achieve the goal. Every parent has lots of knowledge and experiences that could be very supportive for children’s learning and growth.
As we find that school age children spend 70% of their waking hours including weekends and holidays outside school. This vast amount of times children spend either with parents, relatives, nor day care. It is no doubt that most of time children spend with parents. The most important way parents can get involved at home helping children’s home works, reading books together, sharing about children future career, listening to children, watching good TV program together or educational movie, playing together, taking children to the library and educational exposures, setting home library, establishing a daily family routine, monitor out of school activities, express high but realistic expectations, encourage and appreciate children’s development and achievement and participating school activities and programs. Research finds that Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University developed a framework for defining six different types of parental involvement in children’s education that emphasized parent’s continuing education on family literature, training on basic technology use, home work, health, nutrition, and other necessary services, and help parents to establish home learning environment; parents need to develop strong relationships with teacher and school through attending teacher-parent conferences, meeting regularly, make phone calls, send emails, and other communications as needed; volunteer at classroom and field trip to help teachers, administrators, students, and parents; be member in Parent Teachers Association (PTA); and attend back-to-school night and many other school programs. Epstein framework assists leaders, educators, and parents in developing school and family partnership programs that enhances school functions and makes the school more effective. The most important point is that when children see their parents walking and supportive for their every step of life, they feel so proud and inspired.
It is real that parents are busier than ever. But, it is parent’s fundamental duty and full time task to be supportive in children’s education and daily growth. It finds in many countries that mother is more and father is less supportive for children’s education and personal growth. In many cases, this responsibility shows opposite too for many parents. Why it should be? Does not matter who does what for children development? Both parents should have the same accountability for the children. Both parents should manage their personal time to help children. If anyone is not well educated or does not know how to help home work, she/he can sit beside children when they study, can take them in library, can attend school programs, drop off at school when needed, and so many ways parents can help children according to their knowledge, experiences, ability, and skills. So, the parents would feel the ownership of their children’s achievement and development. Every parent must be proud and happy to make a difference educating and showing them a succeed life. Parents have a vital role to promote a better child and citizen for the world. There is no way to avoid this responsibility. Helping children in education, personal development, and promoting good children is very enjoyable sense of duty.

(Author is a specialist in Educational Admin. & Policy Studies, Int'l Scholar Winner- recognized by the Center for Global Education, the Catholic University of America (CUA),Washington, DC, & Freelance Journalist).
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2010 by Nirmal L. Gomes