There's something even more influential to a child's learning than parents' income or level of education. It's what parents do with her, as a family, that counts the most. Parents' participation in their children's learning, research shows, can positively affect children's grades and achievement, attendance, attitudes and behaviors, rate of graduation, and enrollment in post secondary education.
According to Supporting Parent, Family, & Community Involvement in Your School, a guide developed by NWREL's Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (SCRD) Unit of Planning and Program Development, the strongest support for learning occurs at home through positive parenting styles, nightly reading, homework policies, and high expectations. Schools can foster this support by enlisting parents' participation in areas ranging from developing homework routines, providing after-school supervision, limiting television viewing, and helping children prepare for college and other postsecondary learning.
The guide offers research-based suggestions on creating positive family and community involvement in schools. It is intended to help school staff members and others design long-term approaches to fostering partnerships with other important adults in students' lives. The guide includes a brief review of key research findings on the positive role families can play in their children's learning. It identifies six types of partnerships schools can foster, including those based on parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decisionmaking, and collaborating with the community. Tools are included to help schools measure how well they are reaching out to involve families and community members.
The booklet outlines how to assemble a team, collect data, set priorities, and write a partnership plan. Each section reviews key challenges and strategies:
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Date of Last Update: 9/28/01 
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