Parents and carers may come across the terms parent engagement and parent involvement. There is a difference between parent engagement and parent involvement.
Simply put, parent engagement is taking an interest in and being active in your child’s learning and development. Research has shown that students of all backgrounds achieve more if parents/carers are involved in their child’s education. All families can support learning. It can be as simple as asking your child, “What did you learn at school today?”
Parent involvement is what parents and carers do to support the school. This could be volunteering at canteen or assisting at fundraising events or attending meetings. Parent involvement is of great benefit to the school and can assist parents to deepen relationships with teachers, meet other parents and have fun. Engagement and involvement are not mutually exclusive.
Parent Engagement Australia Research Alliance for Children and Youth conducted a Parent Engagement Project.
Click here to download the report