Parenting and Education

How do we give our children the best chance possible for their success? What does effect a child's education? Is it whether the child's parents have money and stance? In the course of this article the author will answer the above questions though examples of the mirad studies done on the subject. Although one would be hard pressed to find a clear view against parents being involved in education there is some question about how far this role should go. As the popular saying goes children do not come with a guidebook for raising them. This is accepted truth and just as important is the acceptance of the truth that teachers do not come with the training to deal with all of a child's problems. The goal of this article is to leave the reader with a clear belief that the best chance for the thorough education of children is through a team comprised of the correct professionals along with the important team member who with fulfills the emotional needs of the child, the parent.

In one study the government seems to think that money and stance are not a factor when the parents are actively involved. Conversely in another study, again done by the government, money and stance are shown as one of the biggest factors in the success of a child's education. However, taking in consideration all research in recent years, there is no doubt that parental involvement will give children the best chance to receive a good education and succeed.

"When it comes to the education of our children, failure is not an option."

President George W. Bush

In the forward of the booklet in a publication about the "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001 it is expounded that the training of teachers is an important point in the education of children. Also, that parents and families should be involved throughout the education of the child. This article also tells studies show family involvement is clearly ahead, in importance value, of the monetary level of the family in relationship to the child's educational success. (Spellings, M., 2005) In sharp contrast to the booklet put out by the Department of Education. USA Today News reported of a different but similar government study which shows how rich the parents are or how highly educated is the most important factor in whether a child will succeed or not.

The U.S. Department of Education did a study called the "Early Childhood Longitudinal Study." USA Today News reported and showed the following conclusion from the article titled "Do Parents Matter?"

The most interesting conclusion here is one that many modern parents may find disturbing: Parenting technique is highly overrated. When it comes to early test scores, it's not so much what you do as a parent, it's who you are. ( Dubner and Levitt 2005)

The USA article went on to point out the things that do matter and don't seem to matter in a child's educational development. How much TV a child watches did not matter but things like how many books were in the house, and if the mother was over 30 years old did in fact matter. The study showed that it did not matter how many books the child read but only that the books were there which showed that influential parents who were well educated were the contributing factor. The mother being over 30 lends credibility that a parent's maturity level may be a factor. In addition to maturity, most women who wait to have children have developed their own education and careers before childbirth.

The State of California board of education has adopted policy of parental involvement and stated that all the research taken together shows conclusively that parental involvement improves the chances of children getting a good education. Anne T. Henderson and Nancy Berla had this to say,

Henderson and Berla (1994) report that a critical dimension of effective schooling is parent involvement. Research has shown conclusively that parent involvement at home in their children's education improves student achievement. Furthermore, when parents are involved at school, their children go farther in school, and they go to better schools.

The state of California makes a strong argument for parental involvement but just how much involvement should there be? When do we draw the line between professional and non-professional?

One of the ways to deal with the problem of underachievers is to involve the parents in the schooling of their children. However, this does not always work well. What if the parent and teacher do not get along? Parental involvement in this case may in fact inhibit the ability of the child. One important question to answer is...how far should parents be involved in a supposedly professional field?

When it comes to curriculum and hiring teachers are parents really qualified to help?

According to Public Agenda (1998) a case study statistics showed parents were not comfortable with making decisions about such topics as helping to evaluate teachers (37% felt comfortable). When asked about helping to decide how to spend school money (36% felt comfortable doing so). On a question of whether they would feel comfortable in serving on a committee to decide which teachers to hire only 31% felt comfortable about doing so. On serving on a committee to decide what teachers should teach only 27% felt comfortable in doing so and on whether they would be comfortable in helping to decide school curriculum only 25% felt comfortable in doing so.

Comer (1988) and Heleen (1992) have pointed out that "one of the keys to success for at-risk youngsters in school is to involve the parents in their children's academic career as soon as possible." Although the at-risk child may be a special case it is this researcher's belief that all children are at risk in some way and that a good parent-teacher relationship will definitely benefit all involved. This relationship has the dual benefit of first letting the parents know what is going on in the life of their child during the hours when they are not present and secondly giving the teacher a more rounded idea of who the child is and what they are going through when not at school.

Devaney, Elizabeth s., Milstein and JoAnn Piscatelli, wrote in Social Work in Education (1998) that

Kids + Family + School = Success speaks directly to this issue. The social worker facilitates a positive, collaborative relationship between families and school to enhance the learning of the individual child."

Devaney (et.al. 1998) reported that some social workers actually bring out fear in families which can have the opposite effect on the parent-school relationship. The parents may see the school as a threat to their family structure and that suspicion will obviously have an adverse reaction on the child's education and the community's view of the school and also the government's.

In a study titled Families and Schools Ruben Anguiano (2004) states, "A new paradigm would incorporate a variety of participants to have ownership of the education that an adolescent would receive." (p. 83, para.1)

In conclusion, although there may be some adverse points to involving parents in a child's education on the whole it is the best way to help the child do their best. In the issue of parental involvement the author strongly supports parents taking an active part in the education of their children. Sometimes children need their parents to go to bat for them when situations arise at school. These situations may or may not involve the child's teacher. There is also the problem of peer relationships to deal with. These peer problems are usually a bigger issue than curriculum or the student-teacher relationship. When a parent and teacher are able to work together on such an issue there is a significant chance that the problem can be solved. If the parent teacher team is expanded to include a professional counselor and a professional social worker and a network of others to deal with whatever issues arise any problem can get the best chance for a good resolution. Also, the student has a variety of people to turn to and because of that network feels self importance. Which is a key factor to success? The president of the United States has named his program the "No Child Left Behind Act" Perhaps a more appropriate title would be the no child left invisible act. To leave a child behind because of social position is truly pitiful but equally so is to leave a child behind through lack of interest or involvement.

Anguiano, R. (2004) Families and schools, The effect of parental involvement, taken from Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 25 No. 1, January 2004 61-85 taken from Washington International Library August 27, 2005

Comer, J. (1988). Educating poor minority children. Scientific American, 259(5), 42. taken from Washington International Library August 27,2005

Devaney, Elizabeth s., Milstein, JoAnn Piscatelli (1998). Kids + family + school = success: A kindergarten student and family support program, Social Work in Education, 01627961, Apr98, Vol. 20, taken from Washington International Library August 27,2005

Dubner, S. J. and Levitt S. D., (May 3,2005) USA Today News website article titled, Do parents matter, Retrieved September 9, 2005 from http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050504/oplede04.art.htm

Heleen, O. (1992). Is your school family friendly? Principal, pp. 5-8. taken from Washington International Library August 27,2005

Henderson, A. T., & Berla N. (1994), Parent involvement in the education of their children Retrieved from California State Board of Education website documentation of State Policy #89-01 originally adopted January 1989. Revised September 1994, web address, http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ms/po/policy89-01-sep1994.asp

Spellings, M., Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Communications and Outreach, Helping your child succeed in school, Washington, DC, (2005). Retrieved September 9, 2005, from http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/

succeed/index.html

Public Agenda Online (n.a., n.d.), Playing their parts, Retrieved October 9, 2005 Public Agenda Online website http://www.publicagenda.org/specials/parent/parent2.htm