Effective parent and family engagement in education is more than just participation in school meetings and helping with fundraising, it is actively engaging with your child's learning, both at home and at school. When schools and families work together, children do better and stay in school longer.
You can support your child to get the most out of their schooling. The earlier you become engaged, the better it is for your children.
Why is parent engagement important?
Parent engagement is associated with improvements across a range of indicators, including:
- better education outcomes
- enhanced engagement with school work
- more regular school attendance
- better behaviour
- and increased social skills.
Parent engagement is one of the four pillars of the Australian Government's Students First reform agenda for schools.
How you can help your child do well at school
While it's important to stay informed and be involved in school activities where possible, there are lots of things you can do at home which can help your child to do better at school:
- Have high yet achievable expectations of your child.
- Talk regularly about school and the value of learning.
- Encourage positive attitudes and respect for school and teachers.
- Model the behaviours you would like to see in your child.
Other things you can do which have also been shown to have a positive impact are to:
- Read out loud with your child and listen to your child read out loud.
- Talk and ask about what they are learning.
- Ask what was and was not fun at school.
- Help them to develop strong work habits.
One of the most effective ways parents and families can help children to do better at school is to make sure they go to school every day. School attendance has a major influence on educational outcomes. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to achieve better results at school and are more likely to complete their schooling.
Visit the Department of Education's new Parent Engagement in Learning webpage for more tips and information to help you get involved in your child's learning.