Parental Involvement in Education

This article is from the "James County Times" dated Wednesday, December 2, 1914.

Mothers Meeting

The mothers of James county are urgently requested to attend the James County Mothers Club which meets every Wednesday at 3 o'clock P.M. at the High School building. The purpose of these meetings is to improve the schools throughout the county.

What role should families play in raising the educational  levels of their children and in the efforts to reform the local schools? This obviously has been an age-old question. It appears that mothers have always felt a need to be involved in their children's education. The above article shows us that they were coming together once a week to support this process.  That is unheard of in today's educational system.

Research indicates that the most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school is not income or social status, but the extent the student's family is able to:

1. create a home environment that encourages learning,

2. express high and realistic expectations from their children.

3. and become involved in their children's education at school and in the community.1

Our ancestors obviously believed these claims. These appear to be the same basic premises in the past, as well as, the present, and will continue to be, well into the future. How involved were your ancestors in their children's education?  Maybe, more than you think.

1. source:  www.cde.state.co.us  Strengthening Parent Involvement Toolkit and the Parent Institute