Parent participation in schools

Among the factors associated with school effectiveness that have been discussed the most, but which will probably remain one of the main unresolved issues of the education system, is the participation of parents in schools and the education of their children. This participation includes not only one-way communication between the school and parents, but also the effective involvement of parents in the life and development of the school itself.
To avoid any of the typical discrepancies or disagreements between the parties involved who have common goals but different perspectives, contact between parents and schools needs to be clearly planned and organised. In this regard, our analysis has identified certain evident factors associated with school effectiveness that refer to the role that parents should play in the academic education of their children. First of all, regarding parent-school relationships:

  • In effective schools the participation of parents in the life of the school is planned and structured, and not subject to the spontaneous initiative of teachers or parents.

   Parent academic and emotional support

Another important point is that parental support and participation in the education of children needs to take place not just within the school, but also in the home. Hence the importance of schools promoting to parents the importance of supporting the academic education of their children. The results of this project indeed bear this out:

  • Parental support for children in school activities, particularly emotional support and praising academic achievement and effort, positively affects academic performance.
    • Schools in which a large proportion of pupils receive little emotional support from parents for their academic work are associated with low effectiveness.
    • Parental encouragement of pupil autonomy and responsibility for homework and studies: it is desirable for pupils to have someone who is available to help them with their school work, but this assistance should not be excessive or extensive.