Parent Involvement Key as School Year Begins

Pearl River High School Principal William Furdon knows many of his students might ask their parents not to get involved in activities at the school.

He just doesn't believe they mean it.

"When we have projects and things in school, don't hesitate to help out," Furdon said when asked how parents can help their children do well in school. "Kids say don't go, but they really do want you there and they like it when you come. The fact that they are there means a lot. So when there is a back to school night, make sure you go."

A recent report from the National School Boards Association's Center for Public Education entitled "Back To School: How Parent Involvement Affects Student Achievement" examined the relationship between parent involvement and student achievement.

"Families working in close partnership with teachers can have a measurable impact on their child’s academic achievement, particularly when they are focused on helping students do well in school," said Patte Barth, Director of the Center.  "While parent involvement is no substitute for good classroom instruction, it can make the job much easier for everyone -- teachers, parents, guardians, and students themselves."

The report broke down parent involvemnet into six categores -- communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making and community collaboration.

It highlighted support for learning at home as the method that showed the most positive results in student work. That means being involved in a child's homework, though this is more straightforward at the elementary-school level and can be more challenging at the secondary level.

It was also the first thing Furdon touched upon when asked for suggestions of how parents can be involved in helping their children succeed in school.

"One of the things is don't allow the child, when you ask them what they did, to say, 'Nothing," Furdon said. "You've got to go deeper than that. One of the things is to stay in touch with the school and know what the curriculum is."

The curriculum for all subjects can be found on the school website.

Furdon added that checking homework is important, not just to make sure they are doing the work.

"It's not that you don't trust them," Furdon said. "It's just so they know you are checking and looking at what is being done. It is important do that."

Setting expectations is also important. Students need to know that what they do in school matters.

"Knowing how your kids are doing in school, tha'ts the main part," Furdon said. "It focuses them big time. If they think parents don't care, you can bet work is not getting done."