Parents critical in creating a learning environment at home

For the past few months I have seen an extraordinary mobilisation of community concern in improving educational outcomes of young Tasmanians.

Initiatives like the MONA Hothouse enabled the community to participate in the conversation - through group discussions, public events, social media, in our own homes and workplaces, and in learning institutions.

We are talking about equity, about how all children can fulfil their potential through education.

We are talking about barriers such as culture, systems and policy.

Pleasingly, we are also talking about some of the things we are getting right.

We need to keep these conversations going. We need to act with determination.

The latest focus of our attention is how to boost Year 12 completion rates.

The next step is to engage with those influencing what's happening at the coalface teachers, community groups and governments - to come up with local solutions for keeping students engaged in their education, for the longterm benefits it will provide.

But it is not just about relying on the experts.

Parents' voices are vital to this discussion. Supportive homes are the fabric of culture change. Encouraging and supporting parents' knowledge and self-confidence in supporting their child's education is fundamental to the future success of young Tasmanians.

On top of all the learning requirements in school for the children, there is an expectation all parents will know how to support their child's learning and school work at home.

Yet, despite their best efforts, if parents don't have the skills to engage in their child's learning, this can have negative long-term implications for the child.

Parental engagement doesn't just mean attending school fetes and working bees, volunteering for the school association and attending parent/teacher nights.

It means parents taking an active interest and getting involved in their child's school work. It means supporting what they are learning in the classroom with learning activities in family life.

More parents need access to resources that will equip them to successfully engage in their children's education through school years, and help their ongoing motivation to learn. This is critical, especially in families from poorer areas where education is a key enabler to a better future.

The home learning environment is a bigger factor in a child's educational attainment than their family's financial status.

Studies show that students with engaged parents, no matter what their income or background, are more likely to do well at school, graduate and go on to higher education.

So whose responsibility is it to give parents the skills they need? Parental engagement is a shared duty among families, schools and communities.

Many teachers however, report feeling ill-equipped to engage parents in their children's education. This is especially true among new teachers. We need to see more initiatives dedicated to guiding teachers on this.

We need more focus on, and resources for, parents to provide an effective home learning environment.

Parents unable to engage in their child's education are unknowingly risking the quality of their child's educational outcomes. If they feel unable to support their child's education at home, through lack of encouragement, inability to provide resources, or through their own negative experience of school, their child may lose interest in education.

Then when children fall further behind at school, they may give up entirely.

The knock-on effect is leaving school early, poorer job outcomes, and potentially reliance on welfare later in life.

At The Smith Family we are working with families to break this cycle.

Locally, we support more than 3500 students from low socio-economic backgrounds, 500 through long-term educational sponsorship, which includes working closely with families to encourage better engagement with students' learning.

Guiding parents on how to support their child's early reading and numeracy skills, keeping parents connected to the school, helping motivate children to stay at school and how to best support career aspirations are keys to improving outcomes.

All parents want the best for their children. The more we can do to facilitate their engagement in their children's learning, the better the longterm outcomes.