Question:

I didn't do very well in school as a kid and I still don't feel very comfortable talking to teachers. When I visit my kids' school everyone talks about things I don't understand. I don't know that I can do much to help my kids learn.

Answer:

Repeat after me: "I have the right stuff to help my kids learn." Know how I know that? Research shows that what you do at home is a more important influence on student success than whether you are rich or poor, whether you went to college or didn't finish high school.

Here are some ideas that have been proven to lead to success at school:

Family Ideas

  1. Organize and monitor your children's time. Get them involved in enough activities after school to keep them out of trouble but still leave enough time to study. Know where they are, whom they are with and establish a curfew.
  2. Help with student homework. Even if you can't help with difficult subjects, asking questions about assignments and checking to see that work is done shows a child that learning is important. Ask your child's teacher for tips on how you can help when your child faces challenges.
  3. Every day, discuss your child's experiences in school. But get ready to hear about the bad things as well as the good. Make decisions together about projects and courses.
  4. Read at home. Parents who model reading and read with their children powerfully influence their child's success at school.

School Ideas

  1. Be sure your child is enrolled in challenging courses that best meet his or her needs for the future. Research consistently shows that students enrolled in the toughest courses are more likely to graduate from high school and college.
  2. Keep in touch with the school. Don't let the "experts" scare you off and don't wait for the school to talk to you. See that children are assigned meaningful homework in appropriate amounts and are challenged to do their best.
  3. Ask more from schools. Challenge them to create new ways for parents to get involved. Compare your school's goals and standards to the kinds of skills employers and colleges say they need.
  4. Encourage businesses to adopt policies that allow families to spend more time in school. Talk to the Human Resources Department at your workplace. Explore policy options that would allow parents to attend conferences through the workday or volunteer in their child's classroom.
  5. Offer your unique skill set to your child's school. Are you a chef? A knitter? A handyman? Do you speak another language? Give what you can to support your school community and the curriculum. Most importantly, when your child sees you contributing your unique talents, she feels proud and he understands that school is important. Children who have involved parents are more likely to graduate. 


 

Source: "Strong Families, Strong Schools." U.S. Department of Education. 1994.