Parental Disengagement – The True Cost

One of the most powerful and often untapped group of influencers in education are parents. Every child needs guidance and parents are well placed to provide this. Some parents, especially within my community (the black community) can be disengaged from the education of their children. Our children are going through their schooling with parents not fully knowing what is happening for them. There are a number of reasons for this, but I believe that the lack of understanding and clarity about the education system are the main ones. The influence of parental involvement on a child s academic success must not be underestimated.

Can we afford to have a hands off approach to education?

Schools and parents have a shared priority to deliver the best outcomes for their children. According to recent research by the EEF, school leaders highlight the difficulty of engaging so-called hard-to-reach families. Most schools say that they do not have an explicit plan for how they work with parents, and fewer than 10% of teachers have undertaken training on parental engagement. At present, three-quarters (76%) of schools in England do not have measures in place for monitoring parental engagement. Schools cannot fully deliver the best for your child without parental involvement. Parents need to have a voice in the decision-making process.

Schools will market themselves

Due to certain accountability measures and because student numbers affect funding, schools are now, more than ever, marketing themselves to parents. This is done through quoting Ofsted reports, open evenings and exam results. What is shared by the school is carefully selected to show the school in the best way possible. Parents need to assess the schools in other ways to ensure that the school is the right fit for your child.

Effective engagement

Parents are interested in the progress of their children but may not have the know-how on effective engagement with schools. What questions to ask, how to ask the questions, who to ask and how to interpret the responses they get from schools can be confusing. We must focus on building parents efficacy because they are equal partners and can make a difference.

School a second home

Children spend a huge amount of time in school. It is therefore imperative that their experience is worthwhile. Parental engagement in schools improves achievement (not just academic), reduces absenteeism, and gives parents` confidence in their children`s education. Students with involved parents/caregivers make better progress, have better social skills, and show improved behaviour.