ERIC Digest Series Number EA 43. They attend school concerts, plays, and sporting events. As helpful as these customary forms of parent involvement are, they are far removed from what happens in the classroom. A growing body of research suggests that parents can play a larger role in their children's education. There are many advantages when parents play an active role in the educational process.
Children spend much more time at home than at school.
Children whose parents are involved in their formal education have many advantages. A Stanford study found that using parents as tutors brought significant and immediate changes in children's I.Q. scores. Other research projects found that community involvement correlated strongly with schoolwide achievement and that all forms of parent involvement helped student achievement. Family and school benefit when they cooperate. Parents who help their children succeed academically gain a sense of pride in their children and themselves.