However, the district that involved parents in decisions about implementation of the program and strategies for reinforcement at home had significantly higher reading scores. This active leadership role brought about a higher level of involvement than did a strategy that stressed home visits at which parents were given examples of learning activities they might do with their children. Another focus of parental involvement efforts is the home. When parents learn to teach their own children, they not only give the children new skills, but also build their feelings of competence. This increased confidence, in turn, motivates the children to perform better.
Parents can become engaged through social and recreational activities.
Once engaged, they are more likely to work with their children on school-related activities and view themselves as involved in their child's education. It is also essential for schools to provide supports such as childcare and transportation. What is needed is a persistence of effort and a reorganization of budgets and roles to reflect the importance of parent involvement. While some programs have adopted extensive comprehensive efforts to increase parental participation, relatively simple efforts also have effects. These contracts signed by the principal, teacher, parent, and child stipulated that parents would provide a special place at home to do school work, talk with their child daily about school events, and pay attention to their child's academic progress and compliment any gains.