How Parental Involvement Helps Kids Learn

How Parental Involvement Helps Kids Learn

How Parental Involvement Helps Kids Learn

Teachers who involve parents in their class activities will find that they have increased parent support at home, because parents have a deeper understanding of what their children are experiencing in the classroom. According to researchers Kathleen Cotton and Karen Reed Wikelund, "the more intensively parents are involved in their children's learning, the more beneficial are the achievement effects. This holds true for all types of parent involvement in children's learning and for all types and ages of students." Even as students get older, teachers can find meaningful ways for parents to be involved in their classes.

Parents of Upper-Grade Children

In early elementary, parent volunteers are eager and plentiful. As students get older, parents often become less involved. Perhaps they have younger children in other classes, perhaps their children are less enthusiastic about seeing their parents at school, and perhaps schools offer fewer opportunities to be involved in school. Teachers can create a parent community in upper-grades by reaching parents in new ways and involving them in the classroom on different levels.