| It seems that when our children are in the | | | | to their success. |
| elementary grades, parental involvement in | | | | |
| their day to day school activities is easy. | | | | But the one common characteristic that I |
| Attending PTA meetings and school plays, | | | | observed among most successful high school |
| serving as homeroom mom, and even helping | | | | students was that of continued parental |
| with homework assignments keep us connected | | | | involvement during the high school years. In |
| to school life and help us keep a close watch | | | | doing some extensive research on the subject, |
| on our children's progress. | | | | I discovered study after study that |
| | | | overwhelmingly indicates that parental |
| But for most parents, as their students | | | | involvement in teen education is directly |
| progress through school the monitoring of | | | | related to increased achievement. |
| their schoolwork and activities gets a bit | | | | |
| more complicated. When the kids reach junior | | | | So, what exactly do we mean by parental |
| high and high school, they have several | | | | involvement? What form does it take during |
| different teachers and the academic demands | | | | the high school years? Actually, it can take |
| become more advanced. There are also fewer | | | | many forms. Attending school functions, |
| activities that draw parents into school life | | | | frequent communication with teachers, |
| at this level. | | | | monitoring of schoolwork, responding to |
| | | | requests from the school for interaction, and |
| Teens become seemingly more independent, | | | | taking an active part in your teen's |
| translated they don't need (or want) us as | | | | preparation for the transition to life after |
| much, they become mobile, and all of a sudden | | | | high school are integral components of what |
| it becomes more and more difficult to keep up | | | | parental involvement should include at the |
| with what is going on in their lives, both | | | | high school level. |
| academically and socially. | | | | |
| | | | The structure of most education systems seems |
| In my 29 years of teaching high school | | | | to be constantly changing, sometimes with |
| mathematics I, like most educators do, | | | | good results and sometimes not so good. This |
| witnessed varying degrees of successful | | | | instability deems it almost necessary that |
| parenting of high school students. Of course, | | | | parents take charge of their children's |
| there are many variables involved in each | | | | education. Even the best of schools may have |
| individual case. Teens are very unique | | | | overloaded teachers and too few resources. |
| creatures; what works for one may not work | | | | |
| for another. One teen may be a very | | | | Parents must take a pro-active role if they |
| successful student despite having little, if | | | | want their child to be a successful student. |
| any, parental guidance. Another might have | | | | Not surprisingly, this is just as important |
| parents doing "all the right things" and | | | | during the high school years as it is at the |
| still venture into areas that are detrimental | | | | elementary level. |