Parent Involvement: Part II

Parent involvement in their children's education is extremely important. According to Danielle Wood, editor-in-chief of Education.com, the best opportunities for classroom involvement occur when kids are younger. But younger years should not the end of involvement in the classroom. "Teachers are eager to have extra eyes, ears, and hands in the classroom to keep things running smoothly," Wood says. She shares some simple ideas for how parents can get involved at both early and later stages of their children's academic careers.

Younger

1. Be a class reader. Offer to come in and read to the whole class, small group, or individual children who need support

2. Work as a center/lab helper. Teaching things like science, art, and computer lab to young children requires lots of hands-on help.

3. Offer to tutor. Teachers usually have to teach a wide range of abilities. Having parents to help support students on the high and low ends of the spectrum gives the teacher more time to concentrate on other things.

4. Volunteer as a class parent. If you have more time to give, a class parent usually involves organizing parties and teacher gifts throughout the year.

Older

5. Assist with special interest clubs or drama groups. Sometimes it is up to parents to keep extra curricular activities going. If you have the expertise to do anything for the students in these special areas, it is a great service.

6. Speak to classes about your career or special expertise. One of the most important gifts you can give a child is a gift of inspiration. Go to the classroom and explain what you do and how you accomplished your goals.

7. Work as a library assistant. Helping kids discover books they love and assisting them with research topics they're excited about can be a really rewarding experience for parents.

8. Volunteer to help sports programs. Keeping kids active is critical to their physical and emotional health. Parent involvement can do a lot for increasingly underfunded school sports programs.

Tomorrow check out 6 ideas from the PTA's National Standards for Family-School Partnership!