Supportive Parents Linked to Good Grades

By Marie Hunt

Mommy MD Staff Writer

There have been numerous recent studies that focus on factors in children's performance in school. Socio-economic status, ethnicity, and many other factors were taken into account, but one factor consistently predicted whether or not a child would do well in school: parental support.

It has been found that, in most cases, the more positive support a child receives from the adults in their lives, the better their grades. It has even been found that the greater the number of adults in the child's family that were deemed supportive, the better the child's overall performance. Various studies have measured grades, social skills, and even level of physical activity. All were found to have positive links to parents who were involved in the child's education, attended events, and provided verbal encouragement. Long term studies found that instances of delinquency in children who received parental support and discipline were significantly fewer than in those who had not.

John Sanregret, the principal of a Michigan school, has found that parental involvement is not only beneficial for students, but is absolutely necessary. He recommends that parents remain a part of their child's education all the way through high school by studying with them at home and, when possible, volunteering at their school.

References

http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=9735

Michael E. Woolley, Gary L. Bowen (2007). In the Context of Risk: Supportive Adults and the School Engagement of Middle School Students. Family Relations 56 (1), 92–104.

Lennart Raudsepp (2006). The relationship between socio-economic status, parental support and adolescent physical activity. Acta Paediatrica 95 (1), 93–98.

John Paul Wright, Francis T. Cullen (2001). Parental Efficacy and Delinquent Behavior: Do Control and Support Matter? Criminology 39 (3), 677–706.