Academic Achievement & Family Influence

Learning Focus

• Children who live in homes in which the parents were academically successful, once they become parents, often feel that their job is to prepare their children to do likewise in school. They take their kids on vacation, but they spend time learning about local history at museums. They also may ensure that their kids have time to study and understand the importance of school attendance. School is a priority for these families, and children who live in them grow up with a focus on learning.

Expectations

• Parents who have high academic expectations and those who adopt a more authoritarian parenting style for their children often have children who do well in school. However, it can be dangerous to set expectations too high, such that a child feels overly pressured to perform. Expectations that a child should work hard to get a good job or to have a secure financial future are externally focused. These types of expectations should be balanced with those that relate directly to the child, such as that she be able to personally set and reach goals, work hard and to enjoy being curious.

Support

• Parents who support their children in their academic work also positively influence their performance. This takes different forms for families. Some parents might help with homework, or volunteer at school. Others provide a quiet study space, a consistent bedtime or a positive example of hard work and discipline. How parents demonstrate support for their child's academic career varies by family and by culture. No matter how it is shown, it is a vital part of a child's academic success to know her parents are behind her efforts.

Reading

• A love of reading in a household can also positively affect a child̵7;s academic attainment. Learning new vocabulary, and how to predict, comprehend and respond to a text are just some of the skills children can learn at home that are important in an academic environment. Reading books, newspapers, magazines and websites with children on a regular basis sets them up for triumph at school.

In the End

• Some parents are not sure how they can contribute to their children̵7;s education. Language and cultural barriers can prevent parents from taking part at school. Parents from some cultures may think that teachers do not value parents̵7; active involvement in their child's education or that teachers know more than parents about educating their child. In addition, low education levels and other such factors prevent many parents from becoming too involved in their child's education.

  Parents who do everything they can to provide a positive view of academics at home may find that their child does not succeed in school. A child̵7;s worth, however, does not depend on her grades. Encourage her at school to do her best, and praise her efforts. Foster her talents and skills that fall outside the academic arena as well. Provide support for her academic career at home, but balance that with love for her as a whole person.