JANUARY 27 - 31

Teens
Why Parental Involvement in Education is so Important

It's no secret that parental involvement in education is important, but some parents don't know how important.  

More than 80 percent of new teachers feel that parental support and involvement is the most challenging area they face; parents are either unwilling or don't have time to participate in their child's education. However, when children have the involvement of their parents, they are more likely to get better grades, graduate high school, go on to college and even have better attitudes. Not only that, but family life gets better.  As a parent gets more involved in their child's education, alcohol abuse decreases and social behavior increases within the family unit.

If you show your child that education is important and live it out, they will believe it and their grades will be positively impacted. Setting homework schedules is a great way to start. For example, the homework has to be done before the television is flipped on. You can also attend school open houses, participate in on-campus programs, set up teacher conferences, and talk to your child about their career goals to give them something to work toward.

Since school curriculum is being accelerated, your children are probably learning in fourth grade what you learned in seventh. For this reason, it's not going to be too long before you're lost on your child's homework. It happened to my parents by the time I reached high school. In math, it happened well before high school. However, even though they couldn't help with the actual work, they encouraged me. I was rewarded with family nights out when I got good grades. My parents found out who the best teachers were for each subject and ensured I was placed in their class. They always scheduled their events around any after-school assistance I needed and brought me popcorn when I was really frustrated with Advanced Placement Calculus.

Being involved in your child's education doesn't mean doing the work for them. It means being an involved advocate for your child's future. With the job market as bad as it is, it's important now more than ever to excel academically, and with your encouragement, your children will do exactly that. 

Taken from: www.imom.com