Hi PPN Families. I hope you were able to enjoy some extra special family time during the extra long weekend we just had. Our term is marching on quickly, and I would like to give you a further reminder about Week 10 being a professional development week for our staff. June 30^th will be the last day of Term 2 for our students. Please make plans accordingly.

This week, I thought I might give a little bit of background into why I keep saying how important it is for parents and families to be involved in the learning and school life of our kids. There are all sorts of mental wellbeing and resilience things that I will look at another week, but today I thought I would share some of the really practical educational benefits parent involvement in the school lives of kids can bring. You might say some of the research is far-fetched and not relevant to my Primary aged child, but as a high school teacher for two decades, I can vouch that these things really do matter for our kids as they grow up. As you help with reading or homework or projects, or sit and (deeply) listen as your child tells you about the ups and the downs of their school day, or ask prompting questions about something they are studying at school, or whatever way you are involved with your child's learning, remember one brick at a time builds a house, a city, a nation. We are building our kids for today as well as for tomorrow.

"1. Parent Involvement Leads to Reduced Absenteeism

Research shows that parental involvement encourages children to attend school regularly.

Findings from a study on middle school students in a public school, for instance, show a strong negative relationship between parental involvement and absenteeism. As the involvement of parents increased, absenteeism reduced.

Why is a high rate of absenteeism bad?

• Research from the University of California shows absenteeism negatively affects social-emotional learning (SEL). It hinders the development of social skills like self-efficacy, social awareness, self-management, and a growth mindset.
• Absenteeism causes a decrease in academic performance. Studies have proven that as students miss classes, their academic performance drops.
• It can lead to student dropout. This is according to Jason A. Schoeneberger, author of the Longitudinal Attendance Patterns study. Dropouts have long-term consequences like unemployment, low income, and higher incidences of crime involvement.

2. It Promotes Better Behaviour

The same study on absenteeism among middle school students shows that a parent who's involved in a child's academics makes a big impression on the student. This parental support, in turn, causes:

• A boost in the student's self-esteem
• An improvement in their attitude towards school.
• Less disobedience
• The ability for the child to build and maintain healthy relationships with peers and teachers
• Reduced inappropriate classroom behaviour, such as bullying and fighting

Conversely, studies show that uninvolved parents or parents who disagree with the teachers may negatively affect the child's behaviour. The child could also develop a negative attitude towards the teachers.

3. Increased Student Achievement

Parent involvement motivates children to learn, leading to higher grades.

The level of involvement is crucial in producing a high impact on the student's performance. The higher the degree of parental involvement, the higher the impact on the child's academic achievement.

This research involves three types of parent involvement—high, medium, and low.

Results show a higher student achievement from high and medium-involved parents compared to children from low-involved families.

A similar study published on IOPscience further proves this concept. Results show that students from intensely involved parents have higher test scores in all subjects compared to children with uninvolved parents.

4. Parent Involvement Improves Parent and Teacher Satisfaction

Besides promoting student success, parental involvement in a child's education is beneficial to the teachers and the parents. It builds a positive relationship characterized by mutual respect. They're able to work together to promote student learning and performance.

This partnership benefits the child's teacher in that:

• Parents develop an appreciation for the challenges teachers face. It makes them feel valued. This gives the teacher morale and boosts their performance, creating higher job satisfaction.
• The interaction between the teacher and the parent helps the teacher know the student more. It enables them to teach in a personalized way.
• There is better communication between parents, teachers, and school administrators. Parents are more likely to accept teachers' requests for help with homework completion.

The parents involved in their children's learning process also benefit in that:

• They understand their child's emotional and intellectual needs better.
• They gain confidence in their parenting capabilities.
• The parent learns their children's development stages and how to use positive reinforcement for each stage.
• The improved communication gives parents the confidence to raise any concerns they may have about the school's practices." (https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/parental-involvement-education-schools)

Have a great week with your kids,

Mark B