The Pleasant Valley Community School District is known for their commitment to excellence. One reason for this is how involved the students’ parents are. PV parents go above and beyond to ensure their children are receiving the best education possible.
Research shows that students whose parents are active in their education have better attendance, behavior and grades. Junior, Caitlin Quinn, has parents who are actively involved in her academics and extracurricular activities. “My parents and myself have high expectations for my grades, so if I do get a bad grade they make sure I tried my best and encourage me to focus more time and energy in any given class,” stated Quinn.
This trend is seen widely at PV. Parents even take their kids to private lessons or tutors, paying anywhere from $20-$70 per hour to enhance their child’s skills. Adam Pagett, an associate principal at Pleasant Valley, believes parents’ involvement correlates with how successful their child is at school.
“We believe it’s incredibly important for parents to be active with their kid’s learning, to be informed how they are doing academically, and to help develop good study habits at home,” explained Pagett.
It has also been seen that parents having a good relationship with their child’s teacher improves that child’s academic success rate. This implies that parents who constantly criticize teachers for teaching the wrong way or not giving their child enough attention are actually doing more harm than good.
This behavior is carried onto the child, resulting in the child not having the motivation to learn because they don’t trust or respect their teacher. This domino effect can be stopped by a change in attitude by both the parent and the student.
When a parent shows encouragement and positivity in their child’s education, the child has a greater incentive to learn. Activities like reading together, helping with homework, discussing school events or volunteering all lead to a better behaved and more successful student.
Christy Cline, a 5th grade teacher and mother of three, has been involved with her children’s education throughout their schooling. “While my kids were in elementary school, I was actively involved with their homework. I think the most important thing I did was to show I cared about what they were doing. I asked questions and wanted to see examples of their work,” said Cline.
Sadly, many parents either don’t have the time or the energy to be involved in their child’s education. This is most prominently seen in low socioeconomic districts, where parents work longer hours to support their families.
There is no doubt that Pleasant Valley is committed to excellence. Students find so much success here because their parents are constantly encouraging them to do their best and providing opportunities outside of school to improve.
