Parent Involvement

I believe parent involvement is the key to changing our communities in the years to come. The more we as parents become involved and show our children that we care, the better off our world will be. The country will benefit as a whole giving every child the opportunity to succeed in such a competitive country. I see a bigger push for parent involvement in charter schools than I see in the traditional schools, but I think this is quickly changing and will catch on quickly in the years to come.
As stated by the Michigan Department of Education, the most effective forms of parent involvement are those, which engage parents in working directly with their children on learning activities at home. Decades of research show that when parents are involved students have:
• Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates
• Better school attendance
• Increased motivation, better self-esteem
• Lower rates of suspension
• Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
• Fewer instances of violent behavior
The more parents participate in schooling, in a sustained way, at every level in advocacy, in decision making and oversight roles, as fundraisers and boosters, as volunteers and professionals, and as home teachers, the better for student achievement.
I currently work for an Early Head Start program where we are not only helping to insure that very young children are developing appropriately and receiving the needed services as early as possible to help them thrive. We are also helping parents lay the foundation for Parent Involvement in the schools and communities for the years to come. We are strong believers that the children’s success lies upon making sure that parents are involved in all aspects of their children’s lives. Helping them understand the importance and the strong impact of their involvement is key to involving them not only in the program, but in the lives of their children and their community. We don’t just preach this, we do our best to educate and involve