Tech Savvy Parents - Never Having to Say "Do You Have Any Homework?"

"Parents are a child's first teacher.
" This is obvious. From birth until a child is ready for pre-school or day care in a group setting the child spends the most time with parents and family. The most important social skills are learned in the family; caring, sharing, and responsibility.

As children start school and parents are no longer a large part of the daytime hours of a child, the child must be responsible for learning and bringing that knowledge home to share with parents.

Young children have a tendency to tell parents many stories of what happened in school.

The older children become, the more likely the stories become less and for some nonexistent. If parents take more responsibility to know what goes on in the school day without relying on the child, does that take the responsibility from the child? With the ability to use technology to advance communication in education many educators and parents are taking advantage of this tool. At first it was teacher web pages which allowed the teacher to share curriculum offerings and information regarding upcoming events. Some teachers posted pictures of activities in the classroom.

This wonderful tool conveyed information before the events and feedback once the event was completed.

The drawback is that information is not individualized; it referred to the whole class.
Parents needed to know more regarding their child's progress and teachers started using e-mail to give parents a chance to ask questions and gather more feedback specific to their child.
E-mail has been helpful; however, it is not something that can give a full picture on a regular basis on the child's progress. Many schools have begun using grading systems that allow parents to see their child's grades and assignments prior to the mid-point and end of a marking period.

One of the most successful programs being used around the country is Pearson's PowerSchool program.
Other widely used programs include Ed Line, SASI, and GradeKeeper.
A fear of this progress is that children will no longer learn the importance of their own responsibility of bringing books and other necessities home to complete assignments or study. There are many studies that prove that parent involvement in student grades and homework increase the academic success and performance of the student.

Children who have parents who become involved by speaking to their child about school work tend to score higher in all areas of academics. Parent-teacher communication is a necessary part of this success.

Parents who view their child's grades with online programs on a regular basis do not take away the child's responsibility of knowing what is necessary to succeed - the positive reinforcement that comes from the parent's involvement encourages the child to be prepared and motivates them to succeed.

Parents help a child succeed academically by providing structure and encouraging organization and study skills.
The more information a parent has, the more successful the child will be.