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Parental Involvement: Getting Involved in Your Child's Education
When parents are involved in their children's education, kids do better in school. Want to learn how to help your child achieve and succeed? In this section of our Web site, you'll find:

What Is Parental Involvement, Exactly?
Parental involvement in your child's education can mean:

Or, it can be as simple as asking your children, "How was school today?" But ask every day. That will send your children the clear message that their schoolwork is important to you and you expect them to learn.
Some parents and families are able to be involved in their child's education in many ways. Others may only have time for one or two activities. Whatever your level of involvement, do it consistently and stick with it because you will make an important difference in your child's life.

Why Is Parental Involvement Important?
In study after study, researchers discover how important it is for parents to be actively involved in their child's education. Here are some of the findings of major research into parental involvement:

Reading achievement is more dependent on learning activities in the home than is math or science. Reading aloud to children is the most important activity that parents can do to increase their child's chance of reading success. Talking to children about books and stories read to them also supports reading achievement.

Positive results of parental involvement include improved student achievement, reduced absenteeism, improved behavior, and restored confidence among parents in their children's schooling.

Other Resources:

Keep Your Kids Safe Online

WiredSafety.org offers a large collection of resources on keeping kids safe online. Learn about cyberbullying, online scams, spyware, safe surfing, and good e-mail practices. You'll find parent's guides to understanding online safety issues, links to safe sites for kids of all ages, and tips to protect your family's privacy online.

Translate Your Kid's Cyberlanguage

Do you know what PAW means? How about LUWAMH? It's hard to keep an eye on your kids online when you don't speak the same language. Teenangels.org , a division of WiredSafety.org, offers a downloadable chat lingo translator and an updated list of common acronyms used in instant messaging and text messaging. Netlingo.com is another source for the shorthand and acronyms used in online communication.

How To Talk to Your Child's Teacher

Your child receives a bad grade, and you want to discuss it with her teacher -- without either of you getting defensive. The right words can make all the difference. Author Sam Horn has simple tips for talking with teachers and principals that'll help you raise concerns effectively and work together on solutions.

Discipline Problems Hurt Student Learning

Teachers and parents believe that a few persistent troublemakers cause most discipline problems in schools -- but that those few are interfering with other students' learning and causing teachers to leave the profession, according to a new study from Public Agenda. Eight in 10 teachers say students are quick to threaten to sue over being disciplined. The study found that parents and teachers generally support the same remedies for restoring order in classrooms. Read more about the study , "Teaching Interrupted," and answer some of the survey questions yourself to see how your opinions match up.

Give Kids Good Schools

Here's an easy way to help put a quality teacher in every classroom. At GiveKidsGoodSchools.com , a new national campaign from the Public Education Network , you can send an e-mail to your governor demanding that good teachers be a top priority in your state.

Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten and Beyond

Children's earliest experiences can make a big difference in how their brains develop and how well they do in school. That's why finding good child care and preschool programs that help children to learn and grow is so important. Parents' Action for Children offers tips for finding quality child care and preschool programs, as well as advice to help you decide what type of arrangement is best for your child.

Reading Tips for Spanish-Speaking Parents

Reading Rockets, a multimedia initiative of PBS station WETA, created Colorín Colorado! , the first major Web site specifically for Spanish-speaking parents to help their children learn to read. Featuring beautiful illustrations from Caldecott Award-winning illustrator David Diaz and entertaining video clips of celebrities such as the late Celia Cruz, Miguel Varoni and author Pat Mora, the site also includes downloadable resources for teachers and librarians to distribute to parents in their own communities.

What Makes a Good School ?

What Makes a Good School? (PDF, 26 KB, 11 pp.), from the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards & Student Testing, uses sound research findings to identify the qualities of a successful school. Good schools, the authors say, have strong and professional administrators and teachers; a broad curriculum available to all students; a philosophy that says all children can learn, coupled with high expectations for all students; a school climate conducive to learning; an ongoing assessment system that supports good instruction; and a high level of parent and community involvement and support.

Develop MegaSkills!

MegaSkills programs , now in over 3000 schools in 48 states, serve diverse communities by training teachers to conduct workshops and provide home learning "recipes" for families. Evaluation indicates higher achievement scores, decreased TV watching, increased homework time, higher attendance and decreased discipline incidents.

Math Help: Go Figure!

The Figure This! Mathematics Challenges for Families Web site offered by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics provides interesting math challenges that middle school students can do at home with their families. Looking for more math resources? NEA has compiled a list .

Get Help from PBS's Award-Winning 'Between the Lions'

NEA has endorsed the " Between the Lions " TV show for kids 4 - 7. The series offers educationally sound reading instruction that combines phonics and whole language. Airing weekdays on PBS, Between the Lions is set in a magical library run by a family of big "cats"—lions Theo, Cleo, Lionel and Leona—who run a library where characters pop off the pages of books, vowels sing and words take on a life of their own.

Public Agenda Studies Child-Rearing Challenges

Public Agenda has conducted a number of research reports on family and education topics. The latest, "All Work and No Play?" explores what parents and kids want from out-of-school time. "What Parents Are Saying About TV Today" outlines parents' concerns about sex, violence and profanity on TV, while questions about pop culture, drugs and crime figure in "A Lot Easier Said Than Done: Parents Talk About Raising Children in Today's America" . "Playing Their Parts: What Parents and Teachers Really Mean by Parental Involvement" looks at the ways parents and teachers agree -- and disagree -- about what parents should be doing in their kids' schools.

Join the Public Education Network

The non-profit Public Education Network (PEN) believes "that equal opportunity, access to quality public schools and an informed citizenry are all critical components of a democratic society. PEN's goal is to ensure that the availability of high-quality public education is every child's right and not a privilege."

Grade-by-Grade: What Your Child Should Be Learning in School

The Ladies Home Journal offers a grade-by-grade guide that highlights some of the behaviors and learning opportunities that school age children may experience.

What the National PTA Has To Say

The National PTA , the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the United States , offers parents substantial resources to help them ensure "the success of your child in school, with friends, and in life."

PTO Today Focuses on Parent Group Leaders

Founded in the Spring of 1999, PTO Today, Inc. is a resource for parent group leaders and serves as a connection between those leaders and parent group marketers. Their Web site, www.ptotoday.com , is intended "to facilitate sharing among parent leaders."

Librarians' Picks

The  American Library Association recommends quality booklists and Web sites for parents, kids, teens and families, as well as tips for keeping kids safe online.

Family-School Partnerships Pay Off for Kids

The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education "advocates the involvement of parents and families in their children's education, and fosters relationships between home, school, and community to enhance the education of all our nation's young people."

Other Reading Links

http://www.nea.org/readacross/faq.html
The National Education Association (NEA) annually sponsors NEA's Read Across America program. Approaching our eighth year, NEA's Read Across America focuses the country's attention on how important it is to motivate children to read in addition to helping them master basic skills.

http://www.nea.org/readacross/partners.html
These incredible "Reading Buddies"—including some of the nations's leading literacy and children's service organizations—join us in celebrating NEA's Read Across America.

http://www.bookadventure.org/
Book Adventure is a FREE reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book lists from over 6,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read offline, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes. Book Adventure was created by the Sylvan Learning Foundation and is sponsored by Sylvan Learning, Inc.

http://www.bookpals.net/content/
BookPALS is a unique all-volunteer literacy program. Professional actors visit public elementary schools in local neighborhoods to read aloud to children every week. The world of literacy and literature is then opened to these children by the very people who can make books come alive through their talent and training.

http://www.reading.org/
For 50 years, the International Reading Association has been a professional home for those who help others learn to read. Today, our network and resources reach hundreds of thousands of teachers, researchers, students, administrators, tutors, parents, and others—in every part of the world.

http://www.2020advocacy.com/s_2020/
State, Federal Governments Eye Laws to Improve Children's Vision and Learning
A new report issued by the Vision Council of America (VCA) finds a growing trend among policymakers to enact laws that increase the number of school-age children that receive preventive vision care, including eye exams and vision screenings. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two out of three children do not receive preventive vision care before starting elementary school, putting their physical and emotional development at risk.

http://www.readwritethink.org/student_mat/index.asp
ReadWriteThink offers a collection of online Student Materials to support literacy learning in the K-12 classroom. These interactive tools can be used to supplement a variety of lessons and provide an opportunity for students to use technology while developing their literacy skills. Click on the name of each interactive for a brief description of the tool and a list of the ReadWriteThink lessons that use the tool. From there you'll also be able to directly access the tool and use it in your classroom.

http://www.udel.edu/ETL/RWN/Activities.html
Read/Write/Now! Activities for Reading and Writing Fun has been developed by national reading experts for you to use with children, ages birth to Grade 6. The booklet has three sections, one for activities for infants and preschoolers, the second for children thr ough Grade Two, and the third for older children.

http://www.rif.org/
Reading is Fundamental

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/bookclub/bookmark_091001_100pm.html
National Geographic bookmark maker. Fun!

http://www.readingrockets.org/
Welcome to Reading Rockets, a free web site created especially for parents and educators! Just in time for back to school, you'll find hundreds of articles on how to make sure kids read. For the latest tips and information, sign up for our free monthly e-newsletter.

http://www.reachoutandread.org/
Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a program that promotes early literacy by bringing new books and advice about the importance of reading aloud into the pediatric exam room. Doctors and nurses give new books to children at each well child visit from 6 months of age to 5 years, and accompany these books with developmentally appropriate advice to parents about reading aloud with their child.

http://www.boardman.k12.oh.us/bdms/golubic/onlineliteracy.htm
ONLINE LITERACY ACTIVITIES

See Also:

Literacy Links | Literacy Facts | Recommended Reading Lists | Games & Tip Sheets