In addition, on-line connections to resources and organizations that provide support for families on educational issues offer easy access to a wealth of information. Parents as Teachers. As the first teachers of their children, parents have a unique opportunity to provide early career exploration and the basic skills necessary to succeed in school and the workplace. As children progress through school, parents can help them learn in the home, monitor school assignments, and encourage career-related activities after school, on weekends, and in the summer. Programs have been developed to help parents understand the dynamics of child and adolescent development and teach the attitudes and skills their children will need to lead a successful life.
Teachers play a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining sound parent involvement efforts.
An involved parent is a teacher's ally, coordinating learning in the home with school work, helping the child stay on track in school, and cooperating with teachers to resolve problems encountered along the way. In many high schools, infrequent communication between parent and teacher means that a student is doing acceptable work, because under current policies, high schools contact families mainly to discuss serious academic or behavioral problems. A strong relationship between parent and career counselor can help students select, develop, and follow through on their educational and career goals. Counselors who give parents access to career information and involve them in individual planning sessions for their children have experienced great success in fostering such relationships. Because career counselors are often overwhelmed by sheer numbers of students, many administrators have made the commitment to support counselors by offering staff development and by establishing lower student-counselor ratios, flexible scheduling, and easier access to career and labor market information.