By Lolinda Schreiber, Guest Column

Editor&8217;s note: This is the second of a two-part column. The first part ran last Thursday.

Children headed back to school and I&8217;m quite sure you will be hearing a lot about &8220;student achievement&8221; in the next few months. Did you know that a child&8217;s parents can make a big difference in the academic success of their child?

Decades of research shouts that if parents become active partners in their children&8217;s education that children will do better in school and go to better schools. The research also shows that the earlier in a child&8217;s educational process the involvement begins, the more powerful the effects will be.

Educators frequently point out the critical role of the home and family environment in determining children&8217;s school success, and it appears that the earlier this is “harnessed,&8221; the greater the likelihood of higher student achievement. Early childhood education programs with strong parent involvement components have amply demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach.

Last week I addressed this very important topic by addressing ways to increase student achievement from the things parents can do from the home to support the learning that takes place in the classroom. This week we&8217;ll explore the benefits of parent involvement in the school.

Become directly involved in your child&8217;s school

– Recent research has shown that, particularly for high school students, the type of parent involvement that has the most impact on student performance requires direct participation in school activities. Parent involvement that draws parents into the school physically, are the most effective in improving academic achievement.

Examples are attending school programs, extracurricular activities, conferences, open house programs or dropping in on a class when invited by the teacher and stopping by after school to look at a completed or displayed project will mean a lot to your child.

Research concludes, &8220;When parents come to school regularly, it reinforces the view in the child&8217;s mind that school and home are connected and that school is an integral part of the whole family&8217;s life.&8221;

– Your extra set of hands in the classroom or on a field trip, gives parents a direct connection with the school. Small children love having a parent help out in their classroom. This kind of parent involvement benefits the classroom teacher, the school and your own child.

– Find any way you can to get involved! Ask your child&8217;s teacher what areas he/she needs help in.

Volunteers are often needed in the library, office, at school-sponsored events, in booster clubs, and the weekly reading programs. Become a member of the school&8217;s PTO (parent-teacher organization) and work together with other parents on areas of common interest and concern.

Southwest Middle School has an AmeriCorps mentoring program and is in need of many adult mentors. The research overwhelmingly demonstrates that the more intensively parents are involved in their children&8217;s learning, the more they support the classroom teacher, then the more beneficial are the achievement effects.

At a time when our school budgets are stretched so thin and major budget cuts loom on the horizon, parent partnerships are crucial. The school years will go by so quickly &8212; so make sure you take advantage of the opportunities now.

The Albert Lea Area Schools have a very high-quality teaching staff that fully recognizes that when parent involvement is high, student achievement improves. You&8217;ll never regret the time and effort you spend working side by side with your child, his/her teacher and the school, because you can make a difference!

Jolinda Schreiber is a member of the Albert Lea school board.