Parental involvement is an important aspect of education that benefits students, parents, and schools. New Jersey United research has found that involved parents are more inclined to feel schools are doing a good job educating their children. These parents are also more satisfied with their children's performance in school, and feel that their children are motivated to learn.

On this page, you will find tips for getting involved in your child's education, along with helpful links to additional information and online resources.

Four Ways to Get Involved

1. Spend some time visiting our Web site and sign up for New Jersey United’s e-mail updates.
   
   Chances are that you have many questions about education in New Jersey. Make sure to visit our standards, assessments, No Child Left Behind Act, and school financing pages for more information. There are even special areas on our site for parents, teachers, and educators to visit.
   
   
2. Meet with your child’s teacher(s) and discuss some of the following:
   
   
   • Suggestions on how a busy parent can become involved in the classroom.
   • What your child is expected to know or understand by the end of each marking period and by the end of the school year.
   • The major tests your child will take during the year and what the tests measure.
   • Suggestions on what to do at home to reinforce the skills that are being taught in class.
     
     
3. Work with your child at home.
   
   
   • Make sure your child is prepared for school each day.
   • Monitor your child’s academic progress daily by making sure your child is keeping up with assignments.
   • Limit television watching.
   • Promote reading and learning at home.
     
     
4. Get involved at the school level.

• Join your school’s parent group.
• Visit FamilyEducation.com for information for parents on the educational issues affecting your child in every grade level -- from preschool through high school. Find homework help, skill-building tips in every school subject, educational printables and worksheets, plus advice on report cards and talking with your child’s teacher.
• Communicate with educators and policymakers. E-mail, call, or visit your child’s teacher or principal to show your support. The State of New Jersey Department of Education also has an online telephone directory that lists contacts organized by education subject.

Helpful Links:

Information on the New Jersey Parent Teacher Association. The New Jersey PTA is an organization whose members care about ALL children and youth - the school they attend, the communities they live in, and their opportunities for growth into happy, healthy, responsible citizens. The New Jersey PTA encourages you to become an active member of your local unit. www.njpta.org

The National Coalition for Parental Involvement in Education is a coalition seeking to advocate the involvement of parents and families in their children's education, and to foster relationships between home, school and community to enhance the education of our nation's young people. http://www.ncpie.org/

Information for parents from the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). Topics include building a child’s self-esteem and helping with homework. http://www.njea.org/page.aspx?z=1059&pz=9

This article from greatschools.net contains information on the powerful impact that parents can have on their child’s education and school. http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/nj/36/parent

This site from Partnership for Learning contains information on what to do when your child gets bad grades. http://www.partnershipforlearning.org/article.asp?ArticleID=1999

Parent Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs) can help. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, more than 80 PIRCs are working to inform and educate parents, family advocates, educators, community organizers, faith-based activists and others committed to educational success for all students, especially low-income, minority, and English language learning students. http://www.pirc-info.net/overview.asp

The parental involvement page for the National PTA. http://www.pta.org/parent_resources.html

The Web site for the Public School Parents Network. The site is designed and maintained by parents of public school children to serve as an information source and reference guide for all parents of school age students. http://www.psparents.net/

The National Education Association has information on how to prepare for a parent-teacher conference. http://www.nea.org/parents/ptconf.html

Information on the process for finding a school for your child. http://www.partnershipforlearning.org/article.asp?ArticleID=1907

This website is a companion to the "Success in School Equals Success in Life" campaign urging parents—particularly those with the least available resources—to get involved in their children's education. http://www.schoolsuccessinfo.org