Parent Guide: How to Help Your Child be Successful in School

From a teacher and parent perspective

I always hope for a large turnout for Back to School Night because I value this opportunity to let

parents know how instrumental they are in their student's success.  Students see education, for better or worse, as a high priority when  parents attend such school events. Obviously, this is not the only cue but it starts the year off right and is a relatively painless experience.  Back to School Night allows me to provide valuable contact and academic information. I also try to give parents some keys to helping student(s) be successful in middle school.  I do not pretend to be an authority on the matter but I have had 2 of my own children go through middle school successfully (but not somewhat painstakingly) and I have had over 100 students every school year for quite some time.  So, I am just giving them my interpretation of the essentials.

Attendance is crucial.  If I could only do one thing for my child and nothing more, I would make sure they are present as much as possible. There are not only statistics that correlate absences with dropout rates but quite simply - it is difficult to teach students who are not at school.  Every day missed effects at least two days due to mathematics being a sequential course and content builds upon prior concepts.  Attendance should be given highest priority!

Check student grades weekly.  If I could only do two things to support my student in school, I would ensure good attendance and I would check their grades once a week. Again, students pick up parental cues regarding education.  Checking student grades once a week and discussing the positives (and celebrating) and negatives gives students direction for the following week.  In addition, if a student reflects weekly on their grades there is a conscious effort to fix problems before it's too late.  Parents, in most districts, can access grades online.  In my school, parents simply fill out a short form in the front office to set up a username and password. It takes less than 5 minutes. Checking grades is a simple process each week and there are links for emailing teachers when necessary.  County and local libraries offer access to computers to check grades.  When necessary and upon request, teachers will print progress reports weekly.  However, parents must ensure they receive the report from their child.

Communicate with teachers and counselors.  Another parent intervention that is essential is communication. Most teachers want parental involvement and prefer parents ask questions, get support, and/or check-in routinely. Students sometimes discourage communication for various reasons. I utilize Back to School Night to confirm my availability and willingness to communicate with parents. In fact, this venue enable me to address my preference for communicating via email or through Edmodo.  Since I am never at my desk, I rarely see the blinking light indicating I have a voicemail and I cannot make a phone call as quickly as I can respond to an email.  I warn parents that even my own children attempt to talk me out of contacting their teachers.  This should not deter but encourage communication!


Homework checks before bed!  Finally, parents can support students by checking their homework.  This is not always easy for all subjects but still encouraged.  Many parents confide in me, as an Algebra teacher, about their inability to help their children complete Algebra homework.  Teachers do not expect parents to be experts. In fact, I do not expect parents to know Algebra at all.  However, they can help their student and me by simply verifying completeness, organization, and neatness.  Also, prompting their student to ask for help when they are experiencing confusion.  A little goes a long way with homework checks by parents.  Again, students interpret homework checks as a cue that education is a priority when parents take time out of their busy schedules to talk with them about school and progress checks.

Coming from a household where both parents work full time and there are three kids who all play sports, I understand busy schedules and the sometimes overwhelming feeling that accompanies.  So, hopefully this will help prioritize parent efforts and get the year off to a successful start!