How to Encourage Parental Involvement in the Classroom
Students do better in school when their parents are involved in their education. The younger children are when parents become active in their learning process, the more they excel. Most parents want to do whatever they can to help their children excel. But many parents are so busy with work and other obligations that they don't have much time, and others don't feel qualified. There are ways teachers, schools and organizations can encourage parental involvement in the classroom.
Instructions
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How to Encourage Parental Involvement in the Classroom
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Send home notes with forms to be returned encouraging parents to sign up for parent/teacher conferences, meet the teacher night and open houses. If parents have a scheduled meeting with a date and time, they're more likely to attend.
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Hold activities such as book sales, school stores, career days, Santa's secret shops and volunteer tutoring during both daytime and evening hours so working parents have the opportunity to volunteer. Not all parents can get a day off work to volunteer at their children's school, but they can volunteer if they can go before or after their work hours.
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3
Begin a program with incentives for children who regularly read to their parents and are read to by their parents. The Book-It program that offered children a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut for fulfilling reading requirements was very popular. Contact local businesses to begin others.
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Invite parents to help with field trips, school programs, school activities and holiday parties. Invite them to join and be active in parent/teacher organizations.
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Hold workshops to show parents how to encourage their children, help them build good study habits, provide them with a space and time to do homework, and help them with schoolwork. Send home printouts with instructions to parents who are unable to attend.
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Assure parents that their involvement is important and welcome no matter what their income level is and how much education they have.
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Ask parents of children in upper grades to monitor homework, attend school activities and help their children choose classes that will help them in college and in future careers. Go to their sporting events, concerts, plays, art shows, parent teacher conferences and other scheduled meetings.
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Avoid overwhelming parents by asking them to attend too many activities. Let them know their participation is welcome, but they won't be criticized if they have to miss some events.
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