“Please sign my agenda”, “In-class visits are coming up!” Does this sound familiar? Parents are often provided with the opportunity to be involved and engage with students in various ways, but does parental involvement in their child’s education really make a difference? All the time spent checking over homework, signing agendas, and speaking with teachers. How does that change your child’s learning outcomes?
Parental Involvement Outcomes
A lot of research has been done in the past decades noting that parental involvement correlates with positive student achievements. In other words, there is a strong relationship between how engaged and involved the parents are and the students’ grades. Parental involvement is related to the student’s development of academic, language, and social skills. Parental involvement is also associated with the time students spend on homework and the
Some of the parental involvement activities that have yielded the strongest results include supporting the student through homework assignments. Ongoing parent and teacher communication have also produced positive effects on students as well. Older research has shown that parental involvement is especially effective in earlier years, including preschool and elementary school. However, more research has been done in recent years and it has been shown that parental involvement continues to benefit students in middle school and high school.
How can I get more involved?
You can be involved by simply signing your child’s agenda. The agendas are an excellent tool for students to keep track of all the assigned work. They also allow parents to see what has been assigned as homework. The agenda is filled with many helpful resources including a course overview, parent/teacher/student contract, report card templates, correction pages, and reading logs.
Another way to stay involved is to come into our in-class visits, which typically occur around February – March. The students create projects and presentations based on what they have learned in class. These presentations can range from creating a “Little Mountain Cafe”, radio shows, powerpoint presentations to skits and plays. The students proudly showcase their hard work on their special day. Little Mountain invites parents to come into the classroom to see these projects come to life.
Attending parent-teacher meetings is also a good way to stay engaged. The parent-teacher meetings allow both parents and teachers to communicate the student’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as ways to support the student. These parent-teacher meetings typically occur in December and June.
Part of staying involved is understanding your child’s strengths and weaknesses. It is then possible to find and utilise the resources and solutions required for them to meet greater success. Parents are encouraged to speak with their child’s teacher, and learn more about how Little Mountain can further strengthen any areas that require improvement. Little Mountain’s Spring and Summer Intensives can be a great way for students to improve their English language skills outside of their stream class. You can find out more about our offerings on our website, or by giving us a call. Thank you for continuing to take an active role in your child’s education.
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