The Australian Government has issued a series of articles entitled “Learning Potential”. Find more at https://www.learningpotential.gov.au/parent-engagement
Parents, families and carers are a child’s first and most important teachers. Parent engagement in education is about parents being positively involved in their child’s learning and school community – to help them learn and enjoy school.
As a parent, you and your family play an important role in supporting your child’s education. The earlier you and your family become engaged, the better it is for your child’s learning.
Parent engagement is more than being involved and informed about school activities. It is actively engaging with your child’s learning, both in the home and at school.
When schools and families work together, children do better and stay in school longer. For this reason “˜Engaging parents in education’ is one of the four pillars of the Australian Government’s Students First approach for quality school education.
What can parents do?
Being positively involved in your child’s learning can help them to do better at school, be more engaged with their school work, go to school more regularly, and have better behaviour and social skills.
There are simple things you can do to support your child’s education. It doesn’t take much to make a big difference! Research has identified five ways that you can make a big difference to your child’s learning:
set positive expectations
have regular conversations
support good study habits
encourage reading
build a partnership with your child’s teachers
Learning Potential is full of tips and ideas on how to put these ideas into practice, with specific suggestions depending on whether your child is under five, in primary school, or in high school.