Q&A – The Importance of Parental Involvement in Education

The research supporting the benefits of parental engagement in education is long standing, wide reaching and overwhelmingly positive.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Have a question or topic you want to have addressed.
Just ask. This is the Brian Mud Show. It is
today's Q and A the importance of printal involvement in education.
This is brought to you by mun Listen ashes, check
Mark collections. Each day a future a listener of questions
sent by one of these methods. You may email me
Brian Mudd at iHeartMedia dot com, hand me up on

(00:24):
social at Brian Mud Radio Mails, use the iHeartRadio talk
bag feature. We'd love it. If you love us, go
into the app, make us you'd have one precent. While
you're in there, look for the little microphone button. See it,
Tap it. You may lay down a message right there,
maybe for a future Q and A. And today's note
was submitted that way. However, I'm not playing it because

(00:48):
I'm airing on the side of caution to not out
this local teacher. Maybe he would want to be I'm
not sure, but I always try to protect people's identities
when anytime in the Q and a's unless people really
want to identify themselves, and I just didn't want to
put this teacher in a potentially difficult situation. You'll understand

(01:13):
why here in the moment, so I'll read the transcription
for you. Said, Hey, Brian, I'm listening on my way
to work, as I usually do. I'm a high school
teacher in South Florida, retired military, retired Navy, and conservative,
and I was listening to your show today talking about
that high school teacher that did that atrocious thing with
that dictator reward. Just to your point about parental involvement,

(01:39):
that's a big struggle to get parents involved. One of
my goals for this year is to try to reach
out to as many parents as possible and try to
get more involvement with parents. So yeah, I think getting
them more involved in their kids' education always a good thing.
And as you know, as a conservative teacher, I have
hope for this next generation. I think that we can
make a difference that I hope that the state will

(02:00):
start doing more to incentivize conservative teachers into the field.
I think that's sorely needed, and you know, I would
it would be nice not to be in the minority
in the field. Great show, Love listening to you. Appreciate
all that you do. Well, thank you for being there,
and I appreciate what you're doing and I agree with you.

(02:21):
We need more for sure. You know this is all
part of the information I've provided on Monday or Tuesday
this week, where you know you have by the time
you get to high school, it's something like eighty seven
or eighty nine percent of teachers that are Democrats. And
so yeah, extremely difficult in his situation to do that.
So really appreciate the note and to kind of buttress

(02:46):
your efforts here. Since your goal is to help parents
get involved, let's go through how important it actually is.
This might encourage some folks to do it. The research
supporting the benefits of parental involvement is long standing, wide reaching,
overwhelmingly positive. So about that. In terms of academic achievement,

(03:08):
what's been measured. Children with engage parents score ten to
twenty five percent higher on standardized tests and reading in
math compared to peers with less involved parents. Amena analysis
found that parntal involvement in school activities like attending parent
teacher conferences or volunteering results in a sixteen to thirty

(03:30):
one percent increase in academic performance across all grade levels.
Students with involved parents are fifteen to twenty percent more
likely to graduate high school and pursue higher education. Printal
engagement in early education elementary school K through five has
a particularly strong effect, increasing the likelihood of college enrollment

(03:52):
by up to twenty five percent. That's on academic achievement.
Then you take look at engagement and motivation. Kids with
active parental involvement are thirty percent more likely to show
higher engagement school, including better attendance and motivation and complete assignments.
A study from the National Center for Education Statistics found

(04:14):
that students whose parents regularly communicate with teachers are one
and a half times more likely to complete homework consistently.
Then behavioral outcomes this category. Engaged parents contribute to a
twenty to thirty percent reduction in behavioral issues such as
classroom disruptions or suspensions. Schools report fewer disciplinary incidents when

(04:40):
parents participate in school events or maintain open communication with teachers,
and the outcomes based on type of engagement. Home based
involvement this means helping with homework, discussing school associated with
a ten to fifteen percent improvement in grades. If you
take to the next level, and now it's not just that,

(05:01):
but also school based involvement. This means attending meetings, volunteering
that is linked to a twelve to eighteen percent increase
in test scores, and then teacher communication regular parent teacher
interaction boost student performance by anywhere from eight to twelve percent.
So again, literally in every category that's been measured, there's

(05:25):
improvement when parents are engaged in The more ways parents
are engaged, and the earlier that they're engaged, the better
the results. As I mentioned earlier in the week, many
well intentioned parents are busy and may really struggle to
be able to find the time to support their family
and be engaged the way they may want to be.

(05:48):
So I get it, but in terms of academic outcomes,
really in terms of shaping the overall future at their children,
next to instilling the belief in God, there really is
not going to be anything better a parent could do
for their kids. So best wishes for success to this teacher,
and what are you seeking to do this year? Wish

(06:08):
you and your students a lot of success.