Superintendent's Corner for October 2000 Educational research strongly supports parent involvement in schools. When parents are meaningfully involved in their children's education, children achieve at a higher level and have more positive attitudes toward school. Meaningful parent involvement is achieved only when the school creates an environment that makes parents feel welcome, reaches out to parents in new ways, connects them to needed resources, and provides numerous opportunities for participation. What makes a parent involvement program successful is educators and parents working together in a spirit of mutual cooperation and respect for the benefit of the children. Involving parents early and continuing that involvement until graduation is one of the most challenging tasks educators face, but it holds the greatest potential for significantly increasing children's social, emotional, and academic growth.
Parents educate their children from the moment of birth.
Reading to a preschool child is one of the very best learning activities at home, including reading aloud to children, having a variety of printed and writing materials in the home, and stimulating the child's interest in reading and writing. Storybook reading has been shown to have a major positive impact on family interactions as well as on children's achievement once they come to school. It is critically important that the parent place a high value on literacy and take an active role in the child's education. Parents may be unaware of the importance of reading to children or how to create a supportive home environment with the parents as role models. We urge any parent who would like some assistance during this most important learning period of preschool to call one of our elementary principals for help.