It Turns Out That Being an Effective Parent’s Not That Difficult
- By Dave Banks
- November 22, 2011 |
- 6:00 am |
- Categories: Science and Education
Image by Flickr user Neeta Lind, used under CC Licensing
Educators and parents have been saying for years that parental involvement is one of the most important factors in a child’s education. But what does that mean? Cooking brownies for a bake sale? Attending PTA meetings … or something else? Two recent studies spell out which parental behaviors have the most impact on a child’s performance and, while this has long been suspected, the fact that there is now proof is truly exciting news.
The studies were highlighted in Thomas Friedman’s column in the New York Times this past weekend and are a beacon of light in what has been n otherwise dismal news year. The results of the studies show parental involvement can give children a marked performance advantage, regardless of the family’s socio-economic background. Plus, it turns out that the actions that create positive achievement don’t require a lot of time or effort.
The first study, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), was conducted by the
