Parents need to get involved to improve a child's educational outcomes

With students having gone back to school across the country for another year, it’s a timely reminder that a child’s education is about more than what happens in the classroom.

There is a general perception that all children start school on a level playing field when, in fact, many are starting school already behind in the range of skills needed to fully participate in their education.

Research shows that 15.4 per cent of all Australian children are developmentally vulnerable in language and cognitive skills at school start, increasing to one in four children in our most disadvantaged communities. They may arrive at school unable to read or write simple words, have difficulty recognising and comparing numbers, or counting to 20.

When a child falls behind at school, it’s can be a real struggle to catch up. Some children, notwithstanding the great efforts of their teachers and schools, may give up entirely.

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

The challenge is how we can help these children to progress through school and move into work or further study.

Part of the answer is to give more support to the people who have perhaps the strongest influence on their child’s future: parents.

One of the most significant pieces of research I’ve seen in recent years shows that parental engagement in their child’s learning is a bigger predictor of how children do in school than a family’s income or background. Put simply, 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.

The evidence is clear that the strongest influence on a child’s future is a parent’s expectations and aspirations for their child – the value they place on education and what they believe their child can achieve.

There is no question that parents want the best for their children. Instincts tell them that engaging in their child’s learning will give them a good start in life.

But having the knowledge, skills and confidence to do this can be a different matter, particularly if a parent didn't get the support they needed growing up or had negative experiences at school themselves.

For disadvantaged families, financial hardship, low levels of literacy and numeracy, and their work and caring commitments can also make it hard for parents to provide the right resources and be available to support learning and development in the home.

This doesn’t mean parents have to be experts in what their children are studying. It can be as simple as conversations about what their child is learning and is interested in, parent-child reading, a positive environment for homework, and having learning resources at home.

Parents can also become more involved at school and inform themselves about support programs that may be available to improve their children's educational outcomes.

At The Smith Family we’re working with families to break the cycle of disadvantage. We work with families through a range of programs to provide them with the skills and resources they need to successfully engage in their child’s learning journey.

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 long-term outcomes will be.

- Dr Lisa O'Brien, The Smith Family CEO

The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) and The Smith Family are proud to present the Parent Engagement Conference Australia, to be held on 6-8 June 2017 in Melbourne, Victoria. For more information about the conference, please visit: pecaustralia.com