"Is Being Involved in Education Enough, or Do We Need to Be Fully Engaged?"

Recently, I watched a video posted on Instagram that stated (and I'm paraphrasing), "when a Black father shows up to meetings at the school, you know they mean business, and things will get accomplished." There was a mixture of responses in the comments. Some people agreed with the statement, because they feel fathers carry a weight of authority with them that pushes teachers to make moves. While others were offended- stating that children should not be punished by teachers because of their parent's lack of involvement, and there should be no bias in the classroom. Being a former educator in the public school system, I can see both sides of the coin. Yes, a child's father (or any parent) who advocates for her or him, can get more accomplished than one who does not. And no, bias does not belong in the classroom, although many children unfortunately deal with it. I don't believe it's always intentional on the teacher's part to oblige more to active parents, but as the saying goes, 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease.' This is why I always say that parents are a child's greatest advocate when it comes to their education, and should always be vocal. Not only is it important for the teachers and administrators to see parents active in their child's education, but it's also important for children to see their parent's involvement, it can be motivational. Seeing this particular post made me want to dig a little deeper into the benefits of parental involvement. What I found was quite interesting.

If you were to do a quick Google search on how to help your child become more successful in school, or in their education you'll see a lot of articles pop up about involvement and engagement. Now, sometimes these words are used interchangeably, but I recently discovered that there is actually a difference not just in the definitions but in also the execution of both. According to Merriam-Webster- involve means to engage as a participant, or to oblige to take part. To engage can be described as- to offer (something, such as one's life or word) as backing to a cause or aim; to bind to do something; to hold the attention of. PHEW- to bind?? That sounds deep! Engagement sounds like an emotional investment. Being involved looks like watching your team play on tv each week. Being engaged looks like wearing your team gear, decking your car out with team gear, buying season tickets, or getting a tattoo- you go above and beyond the norm (this analogy is for my husband, and other fans like him). How can being involved look in your child's education? It looks like attending scheduled conferences, going on field trips, helping with school projects. Being engaged can look like attending school board meetings, advocating for services your child needs, reading a novel alongside your child, asking questions daily and supplementing his or her learning , or taking control of your child's education completely. While all of these different scenarios are awesome, there are greater benefits to the latter.

According to the CDC, parent engagement is defined as parents and school staff working together to support and improve the learning, development, and health of children and adolescents. Research has shown that parental engagement can lead to benefits in different ways - improved achievement and test scores, better student behavior, improved social skills, and less participation in risky behavior, to name a few. When children are supported at school and at home, it can build confidence and self-esteem in the classroom and beyond. Increased engagement also benefits the parent- teacher relationship, as well as the student-teacher relationship. It can also have positive benefits on a child's overall learning experience- parents having a say in education not only improves the education experience for their child, but can also improve it for other students as well, when beneficial changes are made at a higher level.

Now that you're ready to take steps to be more emotionally invested in your child's education, I'll leave you with a list of ways to begin the process. This is not an exhaustive list at all, but it's a start. If you'd like to collaborate to gain more insight, or help, feel free to contact us at info@bridginggapstutoring.com.

Engagement Opportunities

• Communicate consistently with teacher

  • share expectations and goals for child with teachers

  • Discuss your child's strengths and weaknesses

  • Make appointments as needed to discuss progress, concerns

• Stay up to date with what's happening

  • Read emails and newsletters

• Join parent organizations (start one if they don't exist)

• Take advantage of support and resources provided by school

• Discuss with administration what their goals are to increase parent involvement and engagement in school

• Become aware and involved in the policy and decision- making for school, or county

• Learn about different educational options that may be a better fit for your child's needs

  • Micro schools

  • Homeschooling

  • Unschooling

  • World schooling

  • Hybrid learning