Get involved in your children's education.

HOW can schools get parents interested in their children’s education?
This is a very important question indeed. There is consensus among teachers, scholars and policymakers that children do better when their parents are involved in their school life. But getting parents on board can be difficult. It is particularly tricky, say teachers, to get parents who got little out of their own time in school to push their children to knuckle down.

A recent study by researchers at Harvard and Bristol Universities, utilizing text messages to parents has shown some promising results. The texts reminded parents  of upcoming tests, whether or not homework was submitted on time, and generally outlined what their children were learning. The researches gave parents the option to discontinue receiving the texts messages if they considered them to be bothersome. Almost no one did. And the result was an uptick in performance, particularly subjects such as math and language arts, as well as a decrease in incidents of absenteeism.

This is all very good news, particularly for parents of middle and high school age students, as often they are the most difficult to engage. At this age, most kids travel to and from school by themselves, depriving parents of the crucial "commuter" time they may have shared previously. Also, as students progress the number of teachers they deal with on a daily basis increases. And with parents working, evenings are often occupied with meal preparation and other tasks the prevent quality interaction time. The texts gave parents a chance to get involved in their children’s education. 

Take an active role in your children's education. Their future depends on it.