"How Can I Help My Child Do Better In School This Year?"

Dr. Joyce Epstein has researched the field of parental involvement in education for the last 20 years.  That is the question that she finds most parents asking - every year.

There is an overwhelming body of evidence that indicates that when parents are involved in their children's education, children do better in school.

But what kind of involvement makes a difference?

• Learning and practicing good parenting skills (sometimes easier said than done)
• Keeping a good channel of communication open between home and the school
• Volunteering in the classroom 
• Assisting children to learn at home, such as assisting with homework (not doing the homework for a child - assisting them!) 
• Participating on the school council
• Tapping into the resources of the community to assist the school
• Organizing and/or attending school events. 
• Fundraising towards a specific goal that will have an impact on student learning

The basis for most of this learning is from the research of Dr. Joyce Epstein, operating out of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

There is also some original work underway in Ontario, here in the Ontario School Council Support Centre.  This work is intended to further define the types of involvement that are relevant within an Ontario context.  Click here to view this work-in-progress.

Specifically, this involves recognizing the role of fundraising and organizing and attending social events as distinct types of involvement for traditional parent groups within Ontario.  

With these additional types of involvement defined, the types of involvement listed above become the key methods for school councils to stimulate increased levels of meaningful parental involvement - and answer the question that parents ask -  "How Can I Help My Child Do Better In School This Year?"

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Last modified: September 13, 2007