Why is parent engagement too important to ignore?
The role of family support in a boy's learning journey is so important across the whole school. At Scotch, we believe parental engagement is a priority, not a challenge. Engagement does not just mean through the attendance at major events and parent evenings; it is engagement across the board.
A report by the Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth for the Family-School and Community Partnerships Bureau by Dr Lance Emerson Josh Fear, Dr Stacey Fox Emma Sanders (p8), highlights that:
"while research supports the notion that parental engagement may positively impact student academic attainment, there is an important distinction between involving parents in schooling and engaging parents in learning; it is the latter that has shown to have the greatest positive impact. While involving parents in school activities may have an important community and social function, the key to facilitating positive change in a child's academic attainment is the engagement of parents in learning outcomes in the home.
International research has shown that parental engagement (of various kinds) has a positive impact on many indicators of student achievement, including:
- higher grades and test scores
- enrolment in higher level programs and advanced classes
- higher successful completion of classes
- lower drop-out rates
- higher graduation rates, and
- a greater likelihood of commencing postsecondary education.
Beyond educational achievement, parental engagement is associated with various indicators of student development. These include:
- more regular school attendance
- better social skills
- improved behaviour
- better adaptation to school
- increased social capital
- a greater sense of personal competence and efficacy for learning
- greater engagement in school work, and
- a stronger belief in the importance of education."
We need to reinforce to our boys that their education and wellbeing is a product of a genuinely healthy and strategic relationship between the home and the school.
It is important that we all remember that parent and school engagement is what makes our Scotch community very special and it is something we should continue to celebrate and develop for the benefit of generations to come.
