Importance of Parent Involvement in Schools

Importance of Community Involvement in Schools

Schools teach students, but students are part of a larger community of individuals. Making families feel connected to the school environment can enhance parent commitment and buy-in to making the educational program work for students. A good example of this are parent-teacher conferences, either in person or virtually. This helps parents check in with teachers to ask questions about student behavior as well as teachers to better understand why certain students may be struggling and how they can meet those student’s needs. Teachers can offer enrichment strategies to inform the curriculum students are learning in school (Parent–teacher conferences, 2023). Having less formal breakfast doughnut or pizza nights where parents are free to drop in with students can also encourage parents to come to school and see the environment in a hands-on and tactile way (24 activities, 2022).

More direct forms of parental involvement are also useful, such as asking parents to come in to assist the school in teaching students about different family cultures or occupations. Having a career day where parents can volunteer their time to make a short presentation, or parents can make short presentations about holiday or cultural traditions are ways to get parents involved as teachers. It is important to be sensitive to patient schedules, of course, and not make parents feel obligated to help teach classes, but they should also feel welcome to do so, and teachers should reach out to keep parents aware of teaching units and ways in which they can be more involved.

A great way to make parents feel welcome is to send home regular questionnaires to ask if they would like to be involved in such classroom events, or field trips and class parties (24 activities, 2022). The more flexible opportunities are, the more parents can become involved. Finally, it is possible to ask parents to sign student homework assignments periodically (24 activities, 2022). This can encourage parents to review homework with the student and at least be aware of what is being taught.