Parent engagement is critical

There is a link below from the Michigan department of education and it's a pretty good read. Here is an intro.

"Collaborating for success. Why Parent Engagement Is Important...

Research over the last forty years provides educators and parents with a substantial body of evidence that parent involvement and engagement is associated with children’s academic performance and social competence.Comprehensive surveys of this research document the following benefits for students, families and schools.

Benefits

1. Students achieve more, regardless of socio-economic status, ethnic/racial background or the parents' education level.

2. Students have higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and complete homework more consistently.

3. Students have higher graduation rates and greater enrollment rates in post-secondary education.

4. Educators hold higher expectations of students whose parents collaborate with the teacher.

5. Student achievement for disadvantaged children not only improves, but can also reach levels that are standard for middle-class children. In addition, the children who are farthest behind make the greatest gains.

6. Children from diverse cultural backgrounds perform better when parents and professionals collaborate to bridge the gap between the culture at home and at the learning institution.

7. Student behaviors such as alcohol use, violence, and antisocial behavior decrease as parent involvement increases.

8. Students will keep pace with academic performance if their parents participate in school events, develop a working relationship with educators, and keep up with what is happening with their child's school.

9. Junior and senior high school students whose parents remain involved make better transitions, maintain the quality of their work, and develop realistic plans for their future. Students whose parents are not involved, on the other hand, are more likely to drop out of school."

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/4a._Final_Toolkit_without_bookmarks_370151_7.pdf