It is critical for children, parents and communities to find ways for parents to stay involved in their child's continuous learning. The first teacher in a child's life is a parent – the first one to teach him or her everything from the mundane lessons such as tying ones shoes, to the more complex lessons such as values and morals.
As the child grows older however, others begin to play a larger role in a child's learning, especially teachers and friends. But this need not signal the end of the parent's involvement in shaping their child's educational and emotional growth.
The three articles in this month's journal provide concrete examples of "parents as partners in education." Whether this strategy is integrated into a gender equality program in Indonesia, a health-conscious school in Peru, or a rural alternative education school in Colombia, the articles clearly demonstrate how this strategy has enriched the education programs presented.
A 1994 report by the National Committee for Citizens in Education 1 presented a collection of research based on 66 studies, reviews, reports, analyses and books about family involvement in education from early childhood through high school, school policy, and family interactions. The research documents how parental engagement in a child's education positively affects students, parents, and communities. This influence includes:
Benefits for students:
- Higher grades and test scores
- Better attendance and more completed homework
- Fewer placements in special education
- More positive attitudes and behavior
- Higher graduation rates
- Greater enrollment in post-secondary education
Benefits for parents:
- More confidence in the school
- Teachers have higher opinions of parents and higher expectations of their children, too
- Greater confidence in themselves as parents and in their ability to help their children learn at home
- Greater likelihood that the parents will enroll in continuing education to advance their own schooling
Benefits for schools and communities:
- Improved teacher morale
- Higher ratings of teachers by parents
- More support from families
- Higher student achievement
- A better reputation in the community
One of the greatest hindrances to parent involvement has been the gap between parents and children. This gap often is caused by a lack of understanding between parents and children, and can be exacerbated by a lack of communication, respect, and/or time.
For example, many parents, who are working long hours and have too little time to spend with their families, are unable to engage their children in conversations or meaningful activities. Sometimes parents have had their own bad experiences in school – or simply do not see the value of education – and thus are not supportive of their children's participation in school.
In many parts of the world, parents may question: Why spend the time and money to put a child through school when he or she could be helping take care of the family or tending to the crops and animals?
Although occasional one-time activities, such as parent-teacher meetings, may serve to build a relationship between the teacher and parent, they do little to bridge the gap between the parents and the child. A structure or well-planned process is important to effectively engage parents in their child's education.
For example, the governing body of Ana Bertha Quiroz's school program consists of committees of democratically-elected representatives, including parents, students, teachers, administrators, and janitorial staff. They all contribute to the ongoing policy and decision-making for the school, and are therefore engaged in the entire process.
The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, an advocacy group developing effective family/school partnerships throughout the United States, suggests the following "Keys to Success" 2 for a program that engages parents in education, based on the experiences of their members:
- Assess family's needs and interests about ways of working with the schools
- Set clear and measurable objectives based on parent and community input, to help foster a sense of cooperation and communication between families, communities, and schools
- Hire and train a parent/family liaison to directly contact parents and coordinate family activities. The Liaison should be bilingual as needed and sensitive to the needs of family and the community.
- Develop multiple outreach mechanisms to inform families, businesses, and the community about family involvement policies and programs through newsletter, slide shows, videotapes, and local newspapers
- Recognize the importance of a community's historic, ethnic, linguistic, or cultural resources in generating interest in family involvement
- Use creative forms of communication between educators and families that are personal, goal-oriented, and make optimal use of new communication technologies
- Mobilize parents/families as volunteers in the school assisting with instructional tasks, meal service, and administrative office functions. Family members might also act as invited classroom speakers and volunteer tutors.
- Provide staff development for teachers and administrators to enable them to work effectively with families and with each other as partners in the educational process
- Ensure access to information about nutrition, healthcare, services for individuals with disabilities, and support provided by schools or community agencies
- Schedule programs and activities flexibly to reach diverse family groups
- Evaluate the effectiveness of family involvement programs and activities on a regular basis
Incorporating some, if not all, of these suggestions produces a program that truly enriches the experiences of parents and their children. You will notice several of these strategies – and others – in the articles in this month's journal.
The positive benefits of engaging parents in education and learning are not limited to the formal education environment. Sometimes parents are more likely to engage with their children outside of the classroom and school environment, on "neutral" territory. For example, parents and children can become involved in community activities, or can conduct training activities for community members.
Although some of the above suggestions may appear to be more relevant to the formal education system, several may also be incorporated into successful informal parent/children activities. For example, one of Lusi Margiyani's key programs uses community-based discussions and workshops to improve parenting skills, reaching the parents in their own contexts.
This issue of Changemakers features three examples showing how social entrepreneurs work with parents to make them partners in the education of their children. Each article illustrates an innovative strategy, such as involving parents in school decision-making, facilitating community discussions about parenting, or giving parents an opportunity to act as teachers. Despite the unique approachs and the varied programs and contexts, all three social innovators recognize the importance of partnering parents and children in education, and have achieved some successes.
Raúl Collazos founded and manages Maestra Vida, an alternative education school in El Tambo, a rural town in Southwest Colombia. Maestra Vida uses a holistic approach to education, incorporating all aspects of the region's daily life, such as farming, planting, culinary instruction, and democracy workshops, into the school program.
Parents at Maestra Vida are encouraged to take advantage of the schools' resources and activities. They are actively involved in the planning and development of the school and community, and even give workshops to students based on their knowledge and experience.
Ana Bertha Quiróz is the principal of the José Encinas School in San Juan de Miraflores, a shantytown on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. Her innovative approach makes good health and hygiene the jumping-off point to improving education and the quality of life for her students. She argues that good health reverberates throughout all aspects of students' education and life.
For this reason, she engages parents in this important aspect of school life by having them actively participate in Health Committees, and by teaching them about good nutrition habits, and other health topics. "Parents are essential partners in education," she notes.
Lusi Margiyani is attacking the deeply-rooted gender stereotypes of Indonesia's male-dominated society through her organization LSPPA (Institute for the Study and Development of Women and Children). Her multi-faceted strategy recruits parents, children, schools, and communities to break-down stereotypes and reconstruct new, more productive values related to gender.
Margiyani recognizes the importance of involving parents, explaining, "To become a parent, there is no schooling . . . so LSPPA has worked hard to develop the understanding that as parents we still have a lot to learn."
These three programs demonstrate that valuing parent's input and participation, and increasing the amount of interaction between the parents, children and schools, produces enormous benefits. These include increased communication and understanding among parents and children, building their self-esteem and self-worth as parents and citizens, improved parenting skills, and increased student achievement.
Taken together, these stories teach an important lesson: It is possible to successfully and creatively partner parents with children, schools, communities, and teachers to the benefit of everyone involved.
Some helpful online resources about parent involvement in education:
Footnotes:
- Henderson, A. (1994) A New Generation of Evidence: The Family is Crucial to Student Achievement. Washington, DC. National Committee for Citizens in Education.
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- The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (2000), Keys to Success. http://www.ncpie.org/ncpieguidelines.html
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Laura Ax is the Program Associate of Ashoka's Innovative Learning Initiative, and has worked with international development organizations and local community projects in Latin America.
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