Families who become involved in their child's academic achievement set an example for their children. Getting involved shows that education is valued within the family and achievement is encouraged. Positive interaction between the family and teacher serves as a model for healthy relationships. When children see parents interacting with teachers, it proves to a child that the teacher is not the enemy and that she's here to motivate and encourage. Teacher-family relationships also bring about the opportunity to interact with other parents as well as become more involved within the local community.
Parents and families who associate with teachers and the school district are not only helping their child, they're also helping their child's instructor. Teachers are able to have a better understanding of a student by learning more about his home life and skills. If he has any special needs, parent-teacher communication may help to establish those needs. Contact such as this allows a teacher to focus more on teaching children. Parents who interact with their child's instructors also typically have a more positive perception of the teacher.
When a child is exhibiting behavioral problems, low academic achievement, or even picking up on new subjects and ideas quicker than his classmates, family-teacher communication allows a parent to know firsthand what's happening. For example, if a child is having behavioral problems, a teacher may simply assume he is "acting out" for no reason. However, if he were to contact the child's parents personally, he may find that there was recently a death in the family. This allows him to better understand why a child is acting a certain way and it also allows the parents to get a feel of how their child is dealing with it. Parents also benefit from family-teacher communication by developing an appreciation for their children's future.
Perhaps the most important benefit in family-teacher communication is that for the student. Students benefit from family-teacher communication not only because it sets a good example, but because it also encourages achievement and success. Children with parents who are involved in their academics have been linked to increased academic achievement, better behavior, less absences, and a motivation for learning.