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What Research Says about How Parents Make a Difference

These short digests of educational research findings describe how parents can best help their child to do well in school.

Families Whose Children Do Well in School

Research studies find that the home life of families whose children do well in school often includes:

Expressing high but realistic expectations for achievement;
Encouraging children's development and progress in school;
Establishing a daily family routine;
Monitoring out-of-school activities;
Modeling the values of learning, self-discipline, and hard work;
Reading, writing, and discussions among family members;
Using community resources for family needs.

These qualities of home life are of major importance. It is often assumed that parents' level of education or parents' understanding of math and science play a major role, but research studies suggest that these are not key factors.

How Parents React to Academic Success or Failure Is Important

When parents communicate to children that their academic successes (both small and large) are due to hard work and diligence, and that their academic difficulties are due to not working hard enough, it leads students to conclude that they--not their teachers, their genes, or the luck of the draw--control their scholastic fate.

Schools Improve When Parents Get Involved

Research studies show that parent involvement greatly improves the overall quality of schools. Schools that find ways to work well with families have:

higher student achievement
improved teacher morale
higher ratings of teachers by parents
more support from families
better reputations in the community

This has been shown to be the case in both low- and high-resource communities.

The Importance of How Parents and Teachers Relate

Children's attitudes and performance in school increases when parents and teachers:

understand and respect each other
share similar expectations
stay in communication

Talking directly with the teacher about concerns you might have creates a relationship of open communication and mutual respect. Children who conclude "my parent and my teacher are working this out together" will be more successful than children who conclude "my parent doesn't like my teacher or my school."

Parents who communicate negative impressions of a teacher or school to their child can cause confusion or undermine a child's success.

Families Whose Children "Get Ahead" in Life

Some research studies have identified two types of families: those that produce students who tend to "get ahead" and those that produce students who tend to just "get by." According to these studies, "getting by" families opt to maintain their way of life rather than focusing on rising higher on the socioeconomic ladder. Children in such families may, for example, be encouraged to finish high school but not to attend college.

"Getting ahead" families stress high grades, pay attention to what's happening at school, suggest options for education after high school, and discuss possible future occupations.

When Parents Volunteer in the Classroom

Students develop better attitudes toward their school and school work when their parents are involved with the school's instructional program.

This effect has been found to carry over to benefit all students, not just those whose parents volunteered in the classroom. For instance, a large research study found that all students placed higher value on their school work when parents served as classroom aides (as compared to non-parent aides).

Parent volunteers in the classroom have many other positive benefits. The teacher and parents involved get to know each other better, and parents become much more aware of the teacher's approach and the realities of the classroom.

When it comes to math and science, the extra help several parent volunteers provide can make the difference in being able to provide active instruction. Activity-based math and science have been shown to be more educationally effective than more passive forms of instruction.

Parents: Be Accepting, Be Firm, Support Your Child's Autonomy

Research shows that parents who approach parenting in these ways have children who succeed in school.

Accepting parents are affectionate, frequent in their praise, involved in their child's life, and responsive to their child's emotional needs. Children raised by accepting parents feel that they can turn to their parents when they have problems, that their parents encourage them, that their parents enjoy spending time with them, and that their parents are dependable sources of guidance or assistance.

Firm parents have clear rules that the child is expected to follow and set clear expectations that the child will behave in a mature and responsible fashion. They are consistent. Children raised by firm parents know what their parents expect of them and that there are consequences for violating their expectations.

Parents who support autonomy in their child tolerate and encourage their child's sense of individuality. They encourage their child to express himself or herself and enjoy watching their child develop into a separate and autonomous individual. Children raised to be autonomous feel that self-expression is a valued trait, and that their parents' love and respect for them is not contingent on having the same opinions and ideas as their parents. They know that it's important for a person to speak up for what he or she believes.

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