Parental Involvement (Pros and Cons)

Parental Involvement in a student’s academic career can be positive or negative. The majority of the time, educators support parental involvement in their child’s education. A parent can push their student to complete academic tasks, work outside of the classroom, and provide their child with outside resources that can assist them in learning. However, on the flip side, parental involvement in the classroom can become negative. When discussing classroom goals and policies reinforced by an educator, some parents allow their personal beliefs to interfere with the educational process. If a parent is voicing their concerns to their student at home, the student may take those perspectives with them into the classroom setting.

Educator helping student present project

For example, if a parent does not believe in reading outside of the classroom, a student may reject the process when reading activities come up in school. Or, in a more serious situation, a parents religious or personal dismay for the LGBTQ community, may cause a student to act out against members of that community in the classroom, leading to bullying. At the same time, when parental involvement in the school setting is non-existing, there are typically negative consequences. If a teacher asks to hold a parent-teacher conference regarding a student's work or behavior, and the parent makes no effort to speak with the educator or student, the work or behavior will go unnoticed and likely progress in a negative direction. Parental involvement should at the very least be a support for the student’s educational career.

I believe educators should promote parental involvement in their classrooms. By creating websites and providing contact information/resources for parents to use with their students at home, educators can improve the degree of educational success for the students. Parents who feel included in their students' academic life tend to be more supportive outside of the classroom. When a student’s parents are involved in their academics, they feel more motivated to learn and have a better chase at developing a strong love for learning as time goes on.