How involved should a parent be in schooling?

By Philippa Tracy

As the culture wars continue on social media, the battle over modern parenting has taken a new twist. This is reflected in the polarisation between ‘gentle parenting’ at one end and ‘Fafo’ parenting (F..k about and find out) at the other. You may be practising a mixture of the two, or are firmly rooted in one camp or the other, depending on your parenting perspective, or possibly how you identify politically. You may just be an interested bystander.

The merits, or demerits of either parenting style are not the main point here, although relevant. But in terms of educational outcomes for young people, parenting, and the home learning environment in general, does have an impact. This is now being reflected in the way that parent – school relationships are changing.

It is clear from school websites, and talking to parents themselves, that parents in Cyprus expect to be, and often are, valued as equal partners. Or they are at least encouraged to be actively involved. 

This might look different at different schools, and may vary in the state and private sector. But, it can mean offering opportunities for parents to listen to guest lectures at school, given by professionals, such as child psychologists and university admissions tutors. It might also mean parent surveys, asking for feedback, or a parents’ association that organises community events. It can be workshops on a range of topics as wide ranging as parenting skills, the role of technology in education or supporting children’s mental health.

Many schools also now give parents access to a portal where they can keep track of their children’s grades and homework, and speak directly to staff.

Last year, a study led by Cambridge University, published by the UK Department for Education, showed that most variation in academic attainment at age 16 (84 per cent) is at an individual level, rather than a school level. The report looks at demographic and behavioural factors such as socioeconomic background and family relationships and how they shape the home learning environment. It concluded that the home learning environment plays “a critical role in shaping children’s cognitive, emotional and educational outcomes.” 

This means that parenting, in all its guises, from permissive to authoritarian, and family relationships in general, are key. And many schools now recognise the importance of engaging with parents in a meaningful way.

One of the key findings in the report is that parent-child relationships are a key aspect of the home learning environment. These relationships shape how teenagers feel emotionally and how they are supported academically. Active parental engagement in the home learning environment is linked to positive educational outcomes.

Parents play an important role as a child’s first educator. Shared activities, such as reading and play in the early years, impact the development of language and literacy. Parental aspirations and expectations also correlate positively with academic progress later on. And extra curricular activities are not just things that happen at school. 

In my own experience, parents in Cyprus often spend many hours every week driving their children to extra curricular activities to help develop broader life skills, such as teamwork and resilience. As important as academic achievement, these are the skills that support the transition to adulthood.

Children need to feel nurtured and encouraged and this report emphasises how emotional support from home impacts confidence and motivation. However, what that support looks like may very much depend on parenting styles and how parents see their role in relation to school. 

Homework is a potential area of contention: does it develop good study habits or simply create tension at home?

Some might argue that very young children should be focusing on other non-academic things at home. And where homework is set for slightly older children, I’ve seen parents discussing it in the playground, at times, as if it is their homework. Knowing what a child’s homework is and encouraging them to do it is one thing; doing it for them is counter productive. 

What is the point of homework, anyway? It certainly shouldn’t be about getting the highest grade. Or giving parents stress. As children become teenagers, parental involvement in schoolwork should be more about setting goals and expectations, and helping the adolescent to develop the confidence to take on new challenges and deal with setbacks.

One of the things schools can help parents to do is to instil a ‘growth mindset’. Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University, published a book 20 years ago called, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. She argues that intelligence can be developed, with the right ‘growth’ mindset; it is not fixed. Although it has had some critics over the years, it is still a philosophy that many schools embrace.

Essentially, she says that adults should teach children to enjoy making an effort, embracing new challenges and seeing mistakes as an opportunity to learn. Those with a fixed mindset believe they are just naturally good at some things and not others. Those with a growth mindset believe intelligence and other abilities develop over time. 

Parents who praise children for being clever, instead of praising them for their hard work, are in danger of encouraging those children to avoid situations where they might fail. Children need to see mistakes as a natural part of the learning process. How parents talk about these mistakes makes a difference. This is the kind of parenting that workshops can discuss.

The Cambridge study advocates for parent workshops and other regular parental engagement events. Parents can always benefit from learning new strategies to support their child’s education at home. At a very minimum, schools need to regularly share information about the child’s progress, homework and good study habits.

Ideally, a collaborative approach that involves a proper parent-teacher partnership, with good lines of communication to address any issues early, is key. If most variation in academic attainment takes place at the individual level, then parents should never underestimate the difference their input and that of the home learning environment can make. It’s not just about choosing the right school. Schools do recognise this and are constantly improving the ways in which they involve and communicate with parents. Whatever form it takes, the Cambridge report is clear that “supportive and positive interactions with parents promote better academic outcomes.”