Published August 1, 2025
While classroom environments and teaching styles are constantly changing with the adoption and inclusion of new technology, there’s one key factor to a kid’s success in school that hasn’t changed: having a parent (or parents) involved in their education.
But what exactly does it mean for you as a parent to be involved in your child’s education, and how exactly does it help? We break it all down below.
What Does It Mean To Be Involved In Your Kid’s Education?
For a few generations now, parents have been hearing from schools and the larger world that they should “be involved” with their kid’s schooling without really explaining what “being involved” looks like.
According to the Annie Casey Foundation, “Parental involvement is the active, ongoing participation of a parent or primary caregiver in the education of a child.” This can be through things like: helping with homework, talking about what happened at school each day, reading with your kid, attending school events, volunteering in classrooms, and more. But at the basic level, being involved in your kid’s education simply means taking the time to support and encourage them as they go through school and the learning process.
The Benefits of Being Involved – For Your Kids
Having involved parents really does wonders for your kid in school. In fact, there have been many research studies done over the years that prove just how much it can benefit students. For example, when parents are involved in their kid’s education:
- Children can perform better academically,
- Have higher self-esteem,
- And can improve their behavior and social skills.
An American Psychological Association review from 2019 showed that students whose parents were involved in their education had higher success academically, were more engaged at school, and had more motivation. Working on math skills at home with their families led to some students performing higher on standardized math tests, and for others, having families who were involved in their reading and literacy actually had a greater impact on their success in school than factors like their socio-economic background.
For your child, being actively involved can also boost their self-esteem levels and help them view learning in a positive light. Having you, a trusted adult, help and encourage them with difficult academic problems can strengthen your child’s critical thinking skills and help them feel supported and confident in their abilities. Plus, your being involved can also show your kids that their education can be a fun and valuable thing and not just a chore.
When you discuss school events with your kid, you can naturally model healthy communication skills and can help your child strengthen their interpersonal skills, as a result. This can help your kid adapt to group settings and school as a whole better, and can even lead to better school attendance. In short, being involved in your child’s education can help them both in school and in life.
The Benefits of Being Involved – For You As a Parent
While the list of benefits for kids with an involved parent goes on and on, there are also benefits for parents, too, like:
- Being a resource for your kid,
- Being better able to advocate for your child and their school,
- And forming a community and social networks.
In addition to increasing your child’s self-esteem, you as a parent can actually increase your own confidence by being involved, too. By being a resource for your kid when they have questions, you get to strengthen your own skills and know that you’re making a difference for your child.
It also becomes easier to advocate for your kid when you’re involved in their education, since you have more insight into where they need support. That way, if your child needs additional help with a certain academic topic, you can confidently reach out to their teacher for resources. Or, if they need administrative support, you can do the same with the school’s administrative team to figure out solutions.
Being involved in your kid’s education can also help you create a community with their teachers and other parents. Through attending events at the school, you can get more face time with your child’s teachers and can strengthen relationships with other parents in the school, which are all connections that can come in handy if you ever need additional support throughout your child’s learning process.
Just think of how many other benefits there could be for you as a parent by being involved in your kid’s education!
Ways to Get Involved in Your Kid’s Education
There are many ways you can get involved in your kid’s education, so we’ve compiled a shortlist of things to try, both at home and at school.
- At home:
- Read aloud with your kid
- Help with homework (e.g., working through problems together or talking through time/homework management)
- Discuss school events
- Create a dedicated “learning” space (e.g., a desk or table to do homework or read)
- Encourage your kid’s sense of curiosity
- Celebrate their progress and effort
- Practice positive reinforcement
- View everyday moments as learning opportunities
- Be their learning role model (e.g., try to be curious and ask questions, talk about what you’re learning about)
- Paint education in a positive light
- At school:
- Communicate with your kid’s teachers (e.g., if your child is struggling with a topic, the teacher may have thoughts on how to help)
- Attend parent-teacher meetings
- Attend school events (e.g., concerts, sports matches, awards events, etc.)
- Join parent organizations (e.g., the Parent Teacher Association or Parent Teacher Organization)
- Volunteer in your child’s classroom
- Know your rights as a parent (e.g., for English services or programs, about immigration status, free/reduced school meals, and other special programs)
Being Involved Is a Great Place to Be
You don’t have to be actively involved in your kid’s education every moment of every day to make an impact—in fact, being over-involved and overprotective can unintentionally cause harm. But simply taking a few minutes out of each day to engage with your child in any of the ways we’ve mentioned can give them the essential support they need on their learning journey. Being there for your kid and showing them that you’re actively invested in their education can help them not just succeed, but thrive.