Four simple secrets to student success

Do you attend every meeting at your kid’s school and even volunteer there? Do you push your child until all homework is done?

That’s great, but a new report says it doesn’t really help your kid.

A study being released by People for Education on Tuesday reports a wide gap between what experts say parents should be doing and what parents are really doing.

“We were surprised with the four very important ways that parents can help their kids and that have positive impact,” says Annie Kidder of People for Education. “They may seem common sense, but aren’t widely known.”

The most important things researchers say parents can do for their kids’ success at school:

• Let your child know you have high but reasonable expectations.

• Talk with your child about school regularly.

• Focus on attitude rather than marks.

• Read to, or with, your child.

Sounds simple, but many Ontarians aren’t doing any of the above.

According to the province’s Educational Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) survey, less than half of Grade 3 students talk to their parents about school every day.

Almost 55 per cent of Grade 3 students surveyed said they never read with a parent and if they do, it’s only once or twice a month.

These numbers came as a big surprise to researchers, says Kidder. “Especially in context of what researchers say parents should do, simple things, but aren’t doing.”

Most parents instinctively feel the most important thing to do with their children is monitor or help with homework.

Researchers say no.

They say its impact was “negligible to non-existent, except among the youngest children.”

Researchers with People for Education examined more than a hundred studies in Canada, the United States and Britain for this study where thousands of students and parents had been interviewed, says Kidder.

“We looked at all research done in the past 30 years in parent engagement, examined what really makes a difference.”

People For Education Viewpoint:

The research on effective parent involvement shows that parents influence their children’s success through high expectations, talking to their children about school, reading to them and generally working to create a positive attitude about learning and strong work habits. These things have more of an impact on students’ chances for success than the more “school-like” activities that parents often feel they should undertake, such as helping with homework. But data from EQAO surveys show that this message is not well enough known to all parents, because large numbers of children report they don’t talk to their parents about school, nor do they read with their parents. And teachers’ and principals’ report in their EQAO surveys that home–school communication with most parents is fairly infrequent, and often focused on activities at the school rather than on communicating what parents could be doing at home. While there is no quick fix or program that ensures all parents are involved with their kids in ways that boost student success, more could be done to communicate with parents how they can support their children’s education. Policy that includes outreach to all parents about what they can do at home would reach beyond those parents who are involved at the school. To read the full report, click here. http://www.peopleforeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/People-for-Education-Doing-What-Matters-Most-how-parents-can-help-their-children-succeed-at-school-20111.pdf

Taken from People for Education (www.peopleforeducation.com)