Parent University

All parents want to help their children achieve academic success.

In order to do that, parents need three things:

• Information about their child’s attendance and performance in school
• Access to school buildings, leaders, and teachers
• Opportunities to volunteer, contribute, and become part of a supportive school community

Some parents also need information in the language they speak and write. The more significant the language barrier, the more important it is to make sure parents have access to critical information about their child.

When parents have reasonable access, actionable information, and engagement opportunities, they can be 96% as effective in their child’s academic achievement as a highly effective teacher.

To help parents help their children, educators can begin by removing any systemic or structural barriers to their schools. This may include:

• putting explicit information online, where it can be translated by browsers
• offering flexibility in how-when-where parent-teacher conferences happen, accommodating families with non-traditional work schedules
• eliminating language and conventions that suggest judicial and penal systems rather than supportive educational environments
• enlisting parent volunteers to welcome new parents to the school community