Running head: UNDERSTANDING SUCCESS 1

Understanding Success in Teachers and Parents Working Together

Michelle Luc
Wilmington University


UNDERSTANDING SUCCESS 2
Understanding Success in Teachers and Parents Working Together
What makes a successful teacher? What makes a successful student? We may think the
answer is a simple one, but it is actually multi-faceted. There are several characteristics and
actions teachers and parents can take to be considered a highly effective in educating students.
Communication, parental involvement, and fostering a good parent-teacher relationship are some
of the most important. Exploring a parents and a teachers perspective helps future educators to
better understand those facets, and allows educators to utilize them effectively in our future
careers.
Communication
Both parents and teachers can agree that good communication is essential when it comes
to successfully educating students. Even though this is critical in fostering a positive learning
environment, it is not always easy to achieve [as] it requires mutual commitment, action, trust,
and understanding on the part of both the parents and school personal (Olsen & Lou Fuller,
2012, p. 102).
Parents
While interviewing parents, I found that they appreciated, and needed, good
communication from teachers in order to understand how their student was doing and to address
problems. In preschool, that consists primarily of phone calls and flyers that are placed in
backpacks. For middle-school, email is primary. One parent, however, felt communication with
one teacher in particular was lacking. She explained that although her son has a learning
disability (memory dysgraphia), her sons teacher wasnt taking it into account, ignoring emails,
and has subsequently blamed the parents for his poor test scores. This is an example of where it
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takes mutual commitment from both parties; in this instance, the parent is reaching out, and the
teacher is ignoring the issue.
However, the parent could still try another avenue. An IEP would be a good tool to use
when it comes to communicating in this situation. The parent in this instance has chosen not to
pursue obtaining an IEP for her son, for fear of his being labeled as learning disabled. She is now
at a crossroads where she needs to determine which is the lesser of two evils: stigma of an IEP, or
poor test scores. Although both the parent and teacher want the same thinga successful
studentthey are having trouble communicating a solution. Together they need to have a
collaborative partnership to pursue a common goal (Olsen & Lou Fuller, 2012, p. 171).
Teachers
While interviewing teachers, it seemed that they felt it was even more important to have
good communication with parents in order to keep parents updated and abreast of problems.
Both agreed that communicating with parents through email and flyers yielded the best outcomes
while working with parents. One explained her open-door policy, and how she tries to keep
parents aware of her policies and guidelines from the very beginning, and then builds on those as
the year progresses. She explained that when parents and students are aware of policies from the
beginning, it makes expectations clear, and avoids surprises later on.
Parental Involvement
As important as communication is, it is still only a stepping stone to an even more
important aspect of education: parental involvement. According to Henderson and Berla (1994),
the most accurate predictor of a students achievements in school is not income or social status,
but the extent in which that students family is able to: create a home learning environment,
express highbut realisticexpectations, and being involved in their childrens education.
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Parents
The parents I interviewed both agreed that parental involvement is necessary for students
to have a successful education. They felt like their role at home was very important as they
reinforced what was being learned at school, and can follow up with any discipline as well. For
the mother of preschoolers, she felt that being a part of the classroom as a volunteer really helped
her to understand the classroom dynamic. She also appreciates the papers that are sent home
giving parents a chance to work with their children if theyd like. Its not quite homework, but
more of a reinforcement for home.
The mother of middle-school and elementary students explained that involvement in her
sons homework was practically a requirement to ensure his success as he has tremendous
amounts of homework, and needs a lot of help. Unfortunately, she feels like she is being asked
too much of. As full-time working parents (doctors), they feel like they dont get a chance to be
parents in the evening, but are instead surrogate teachers.
Teachers
The teachers I interviewed both expressed how important family-involvement was.
Through homework help, classroom volunteering, back-to-school-nights, and parent teacher
conferencesboth felt all are essential to fostering a successful student. One teacher explained
that when the parent is more involved, they are more inclined to understand and support the
teacher. When a parent who has been involved along the way is notified about an issue, for
example, they are more likely to respond positively than a parent who is learning about an issue
for the first time out-of-the-blue. Homework is one area where children have little self-discipline
to complete on their own, and theres an essential need for parental reinforcement at home.
Parent-teacher Relationships
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Communication and parental involvement can somewhat be seen as a foundation of a
good parent-teacher relationship. Without good communication and parental involvement, a good
relationship simply cannot exist. A relationship is essential for creating trust, equal ground, and
honesty.
Parents
The parents I spoke to were happy overall about the relationships they have had with
their childrens teachers thus far. One explained it was very important to feel as an equal with the
teacher, and not that the teacher knew what was best for the child over them. She also explained
that at the pre-school age, its extremely important as kids dont always tell you everything you
need to know. Without a good relationship and communication, a parent wouldnt know if there
are any problems or setbacks early-on, whether social or emotional.
Teachers
The relationships between teachers and parents have changed over time, where parents
and teachers are seen more as equals, and communication between them has become effortless
with technology. One teacher described the ideal parent-teacher relationship as co-parenting
together with open lines of communication. She explained that both parents have to be willing to
make adjustments or compromises to meet the end goal.
Ultimately, parents, teachers, and students all share a common goal: success in learning.
Teachers and parents can work together to improve relationships and lay the foundation for a
successful student when we utilize good communication to invite parental involvement and
establish great parent-teacher relationships.


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References
Olsen, G., & Lou Fuller, M. (2012). Home and school relations: Teachers and parents working
together (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Henderson, A.T., & Berla, N. (1994). A new generation of evidence: The family is critical to
student achievement. Washington, DC: National Committee for Citizens in Education.