How to Support Student Learning at Home

Parents are a child’s first teachers and the home is a child’s first classroom. As key resources for learning and growth, parents help to shape a child’s social, emotional and physical development so that he/she can thrive in school and beyond.

Supporting student success starts with a shared agreement among families, schools and the community to work together and it involves committed actions to make it happen.

10 Tips for Parents

As a parent, you can do your part at home to reinforce this important family-school partnership. To help prepare your children for school readiness to stay on track and expand their learning opportunities:

• Set up a daily family routine, including healthy eating and sleeping habits
• Provide a place and time at home for homework
• Check on assignments, homework and projects
• Talk each day with your child about his/her activities
• Promote literacy by reading to your child and by reading yourself
• Limit and monitor TV watching, gaming, social media and computer time
• Express high expectations and standards for your child’s learning
• Attend parent-teacher conferences, Open House and Back-To-School events
• Participate in decisions that affect your child’s education
• Tap into community resources with visits to a library, museum, zoo or theater and encourage participation in after-school clubs, sports and art activities

Engaged parents are a key factor in helping students and schools succeed. With families, schools and communities working together as partners, student achievement is enhanced and children are better prepared to do well in school.

Keep in the Loop

With pre-teens and teens, staying connected with student learning remains critical. Yet, studies show that family engagement in school drops as students move from elementary to middle and high school.

With this transition to higher grades, parents often face new challenges including figuring out ways to best support student success at home.

Parent involvement at middle and high school takes many forms. Whether it’s checking homework, talking more about college and career choices, attending Open House or volunteering for PTA and booster clubs, your engagement makes a difference.

By knowing what’s happening in the classroom and on campus, you can help your student to focus on coursework and school activities to ensure college and career readiness.