PTA Connects: Families + Schools = Learners’ Success

Camelle N. Medina

Shrinking budgets. Increasing class sizes. Government mandates. The challenges of delivering quality education are daunting. There is help. It’s the PTA.

What is the most accurate predictor of academic achievement? It’s not socioeconomic status, nor how prestigious the school is that a child attends. The best predictor of student success is the extent to which families encourage learning at home and involve themselves in their child’s education.

Many studies and research when families are involved in their children’s learning both at home and at school there is a positive and convincing relationship regardless of ethnicity, class or parents’ level of education. Children do better in school tend to their academic success.

When parents are engaged in their children’s school lives, students have the home support and knowledge they need to, not only finish their assignments, but also develop a lifelong love of learning.

Teachers who focus on parent engagement often see a profound change in their classrooms. The more parents involved in their children’s education, the better their entire class’s motivation, behaviour, and grades become. Encouraging parent engagement is more than common courtesy. It’s one of the best ways to create a positive learning environment for every student.

When families, schools and communities effectively work together as partners, family engagement is a powerful strategy that boosts student achievement and better prepares our children to lead healthy, happy and productive lives. It’s never too late to build the foundations for parent-teacher communication in schools. But the sooner you do, the more equipped your students will be to reach their academic potential.

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The author is Teacher III at San Juan Baño Elementary School