When parents and families get personally involved in education, their children do better in school and grow up to be more successful in life. Sounds like common sense, doesn't it? Yet parental involvement is one of the most overlooked aspects of American education today. The fact is, many parents don't realize how important it is to get involved in their children's learning. Often parents would like to be involved, but have trouble finding the time.

All parents and family members should try to find the time and make the effort because research shows that when families get involved , their children:

• Get better grades and test scores.
• Graduate from high school at higher rates.
• Are more likely to go on to higher education.
• Are better behaved and have more positive attitudes.

• Students who graduate from high school earn, on average, $200,000 more in their lifetimes than students who drop out.
• College graduates make almost $1 million more!

What is "Family Involvement in Education"?

• Keep in touch with the school. Families who stay informed about their children's progress at school have higher-achieving children.
• At the beginning of the year find out if your child's teachers distribute course outlines or a course descriptor or syllabus. These types of communication often contain helpful information about individual teachers' expectations for homework, class assignments, and project work.
• If your child has always been a "wait until the last minute and then work like crazy to meet that deadline" student with respect to the completion of homework and project work, BEWARE! Bright students can 'get by' on this work pattern through middle school- but in high school the work load is simply too large. Your child's grades will be lower- perhaps much lower than what they are accustomed to receiving. Moreover they will feel stressed and discouraged.
• Another variation on this 'let's wait' pattern, is the student who believes that they can 'take it easy' for the first five weeks of the marking period, and then start earnestly completing assignments after Progress Reports. Again, this strategy usually results in academic failure in high school.
• Plus, remember that a studetns final cumulative average begins being calculated with the first grade they receive as freshmen.

• Establish a daily family routine with scheduled homework time.
• Set a regular time for homework each afternoon or evening, set aside a quiet, well-lit place, and encourage and expect children to study.
• A popular 'quality assurance' measure used in the business world states; "You get what you inspect, not what you expect." Ask to see your child's completed assignments, as well as 'works in progress'. Also encourage your child to use their agenda book.
• For larger project work and reports, students often need guidance with how to organize materials or outline writing and research tasks. Breaking a project down into a series of smaller 'chunks' allows students to complete tasks on an established time-line. Your child's teachers, as well as the school media specialist, can provide additional resources on the 'how to' aspect of managing project and research paper completion.
• There is a wide array of facts, information and tutorial resources available on the Internet for high school students. We have compiled a list of Internet resources pertinent to secondary level studies.
• If you are at all uncertain about your child's academic standing, DO NOT wait for the five week Progress Report or ten week Report Card grade to confirm your suspicions! Instead ACT today and contact your child's teachers or school counselors to request this information. Parent/teacher conferences are also available.
• Use TV wisely! Academic achievement drops sharply for children who watch more than 10 hours of television a week, or an average of more than two hours a day.
• Express high expectations for children by enrolling them in challenging courses. You can communicate to your children the importance of setting and meeting challenges in school. Tell your children that working hard and stretching their minds is the only way for them to realize their full potential. Expect and encourage your children to take tough academic courses. Make sure they never settle for doing less than their best.