How Parents Can Get Involved

Source: http://www.ddouglas.k12.or.us/node/330

Would you like your child to do better in school? If so, it’s time to talk about time – yours and how you spend it. We know you’re already busy. We also know that your child’s educational success doesn’t only depend on what we do at school. It depends on you, too. In fact, numerous studies have concluded that student achievement is positively influenced by community involvement and support.

How can you fit involvement in your child’s education into an already busy schedule? Here are some ideas:

• Be a role model. Show your child that intellectual pursuit and curiosity are natural and positive. If your child asks a question, help find the answer. Let your child see you reading. Spend an hour at least one evening a week reading as a family without the television set as background noise.

• Make it easy for your child to learn at home by providing a quiet, well lit homework center and a time set aside for homework to be done.

• Even if you work during the day, you may still be able to help as a volunteer by working at home or assisting with an evening program. No special training is needed to be a volunteer, but you might learn new skills as part of your involvement.

• Track your child’s progress by attending parent teacher conferences, asking to see work samples and attending open houses. Check with your child’s teacher to see if his or her progress is available via the Internet.

• Get involved on a school or district level advisory committee. Committee meetings are often held during the evening. You can help shape your child’s education through your involvement. Committee openings are announced in school newsletters, on our web site and in the local newspapers. You can also call us to let us know of your general interests.

• Join the parent organizations at your children’s schools, and help out when you can.

• Keep yourself informed. Read school and district newsletters and visit school and district web sites. They’re full of useful and timely information.

• Keep up with the school board’s actions, and communicate with board members frequently. Otherwise, they won’t be able to take your point of view into consideration. School board members are people just like you who have been elected to direct the course of our schools. They are as close as your phone.

• Praise your child for school work well done.

Posted by- Maggie Sellers