what role for parents at school?

Elections for parent representatives have just taken place across France. Amélia Matar discusses the importance of co-education, a collaboration between parents and school, for the well-being of children.

Elected every year, parent representatives have an intermediary role between teachers, parents and the establishment.

Representatives propose projects to improve school life, such as workshops on bullying or cultural activities. It is a mission that requires time and investment, sometimes up to 25 hours per week for certain active parents like Naouel, a Parisian mother. Naouel remains an exceptional case. Most active local council members volunteer one to two hours per week.

Even without being elected, any parent can participate in co-education. The key is to value homeschooling and be interested in academic results. OECD studies show that children whose parents are involved in schooling do better.

However, some parents are hesitant to get involved because they themselves have not had a good experience at school or because they do not have a good command of French, for example.

For these households in particular, it is important to demystify school and show that this co-education can be easy. This role does not require any particular expertise, it is mainly about supporting the child on a daily basis.

For busier families, especially single parents, digital tools allow them to stay in touch with school. Talking about daily activities or reading a book together are also simple but effective ways to get involved in school life.

Furthermore, the Ministry of National Education has developed the “La briefcase for parents” site to support families in this “co-educational” role.

In the extracurricular context, parental involvement is interesting to study because it has an impact on the school environment. Some children do too many activities outside of school, but this overload is bad for the child, who must have enough time to play freely.

A study from the University of Toronto, which dates from 2018, shows that some children find themselves “burned out” because they are overworked. These children have many activities outside of school, and end up becoming apathetic and losing the interest they previously felt in their passions.

Pressure on grades can be just as harmful. Children whose parental expectations are too high can develop anxiety, insomnia, or even an aversion to learning. In short, co-education is a valuable tool for academic success, but as Paracelsus said, “Everything is poison, nothing is poison, it’s all a question of dosage.”