When you work closely with your children's teachers, you help support your child's personal and academic success. Coordination with teachers demonstrates that you are willing to do whatever you need to to help your child achieve their potential. A 2008 study by Herrold and O'Donnel found that 60 percent of parents in the study said they volunteered in the classroom, and about 80 percent said they attended school events.
The University of Cyprus website published a document called " The Impact of Parental Involvement on Children's Education," which states:
Parental involvement with children from an early age has been found to equate with better outcomes (particularly in terms of cognitive development. . .Research using data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) to explore the effect of parents' involvement on achievement at 16 in English and Maths (and average grades across all public exams) found that very high parental interest is associated with better exam results compared to children whose parents show no interest.
Furthermore, a 2010 article by Nermeen E. El Nokali, Heather J. Bachman, and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal found that "children with highly involved parents had enhanced social functioning and fewer behavior problems."
Contrast these positive outcomes of parental involvement in a child's education with the self-identified factor of dropping out of high school from a 2012 R&D Connections publication that parents not being involved in education and adults not expecting them to perform well in school contributed to students dropping out of high school. High school dropouts earn significantly less money per year than graduates, and they earn an average of $375,000 less than graduates, according to a 2007 Center for Labor Market Studies.
Instead, it is vital that parents and teachers work together towards a common goal: wanting the best for the child. Leaving the child out of some of the communication can benefit the child in the long run because teachers and parents are building a relationship of their own. They are not transmitting messages and signals through the child. PBSParents recommends also letting your child develop a relationship with their teacher because it can be a powerful first relationship outside that they have with you, the parent.
As a parent, you can improve communication with your child's teacher. If there is something that has happened at home that might affect a child's behavior or ability to do schoolwork well, let the teacher know. This might be a death, illness, birth of a sibling, a coming divorce, or perhaps a parent who is away on an extended trip. Tell the teacher about your child's likes, dislikes, talents, and areas of struggle so they can use that information to make lessons more engaging and relevant to your child.
Work together to develop a plan that will help your child succeed at school. Share ideas about what works at home, and take ideas from the teacher that to work for your child at school. Remember, you are on the same team with the teacher.