20 Ways to Stay Involved in Your Child's Education

Parents have a tremendous influence over the lives of their children, especially when it comes to their social and educational development. Here are 20 ways you can stay actively involved in your child’s education.

Communicating

• Give positive feedback and show appreciation for teachers and principals.
• Keep a positive attitude and an open mind when dealing with school personnel.
• Share expectations and set goals for your child with his or her teacher.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences, and make appointments as necessary to discuss your child’s progress.
• Understand and reinforce school rules and expectations at home.
• Attend PTA or parent meetings, education fairs, and other special events at the school.
• Read classroom or school newsletters, and visit the school’s web site.
• Notify teachers of any significant changes that have taken place in your child’s life, such as a death in the family, loss of income, or the divorce/separation of the parents.
• Meet your child’s friends and get to know their parents.
• Assist in developing parent support groups and programs.

Student Learning

• Discuss your child’s school day and homework daily.
• Know your child’s academic strengths and weaknesses.
• Know your child’s learning style to better understand HOW your child learns. Use the student Learning Style Quiz here in Education Planner.
• Provide a quiet, comfortable, well lit place with basic school supplies for studying and homework.
• Develop a consistent daily routine for studying and homework.
• Help your child avoid distractions by restricting telephone, television, and computer use during studying and homework time.
• Help your child break down big homework assignments into smaller, more manageable pieces.
• Assist with homework, but avoid doing it for your child.
• Provide your child with books, magazines, newspapers, and other materials and encourage regular reading, especially reading for fun.
• Provide encouragement and praise for your child’s efforts.

Use these tips to enhance your own child’s academic development. Then talk with school officials to see what you can do to help them create and maintain a safe, nurturing, positive school environment for ALL of the children in your community.