Teachers Look For More Parent Involvement

In case you weren’t sure, teachers really do want your help, and most want to see more of you. The University of Phoenix College of Education just released a survey of 1,000 teachers nationwide that asked about challenges in the teaching profession as well as classroom concerns. Nearly all (97%!) said they want parents involved in their classrooms, and added that they wished they were more connected with parents.

Nearly half (47%) said lack of parent involvement is a source of frustration. Of the 1,000 teachers surveyed, a big majority (76%) said that fewer than half of their students have parents who are involved in the classroom.

Here’s how teachers would like to see parents involved:

• Regularly communicate with teachers (71%)

• Raise concerns to teachers when they arise (67%)

• Ask about areas of improvement for their child (66%)

• Donate supplies (47%)

• Visit the classroom (38%)

• Help in the classroom (35%)

The survey also found teachers are frustrated by large classroom size, standardized testing, and the gap between student achievement levels, among other things.

On the plus side, most respondents (73%) said they became teachers to make a difference in children’s lives and slightly more than one-third said they wanted to “inspire change in education.”

The survey was conducted by Harris Poll in late 2013 on behalf of the University of Phoenix.

Originally posted in 2013.