Extensive research has shown that students achieve more in school when their parents are involved in their education. Parental involvement tends to be the greatest with young children and often tapers off as they get older. Phil Burnage, vice principal of International Stream at Shanghai United International School Shangyin Campus, shares his point of view.

Q: What role do parents play in early education?

Parents are their child’s first teachers. They know their children and have taught them to speak, get dressed, answer questions and so many other things. Parents are our key partners, and through working closely together, we can achieve the very best future possible for the children.

Q: Why is parental involvement so important?

Our parents know their children very well. Although we spend the majority of the day with the children, the parents are with them at home for a large amount of time. Our children want to please their parents and are happy to share their learning. By taking an interest and asking children about their learning, our parents can reinforce key concepts. You always understand something better when you have to explain it to someone else.

Our parents also know when their children are unhappy or don’t understand something.

By letting the teacher know of any questions or concerns their child has, they can ensure their children are fully supported.

Q: How do you involve parents in their child’s education?

We involve our parents in many different ways. At the start of every unit of study, we send home an explanation sheet detailing what the children will be learning, with key concepts and ideas highlighted. At the end of every week, we also send a summary of what the children have learned and what they will be looking at the following week. At the end of every week, the children are asked to reflect on their learning and share/discuss what they have done with their parents.

We encourage our parents to hear their children read every day, and ensure the children complete their assigned home learning. Parents are informed of what the home learning is via Ding Talk every day.

We take every opportunity to invite parents in to celebrate the learning, either through conferences or by attending entry and exit points. For example, our Grade 4 children gave presentations to parents about endangered animal species, with the parents awarding tickets to the very best presentations. Very recently, some of our Grade 1 grandparents visited the school to tell the children what life was like for them when they were growing up. The children then identified the differences between then and now.

Q: What are the benefits of parental involvement?

Parents are our key partners, so they help us gain a clear, overall picture of the children, how they are feeling, what they are enjoying and what they don’t understand. They can model and demonstrate a love of learning, and praise the children when they do well. When our parents do that the children are keen and eager to learn.

Q: Parents are experts about their children but not education. How do you bridge that gap and support them in supporting their child?

At the start of every school year, we invite our parents in and tell them about what the children will be learning, expectations and so on. We don’t want our parents to teach, we want them to support the children and take an interest in their learning. We want them to discuss the school day, listen to the children read, get the children to reflect on the learning each week and what they have achieved. Finally, we want them to let us know if there are any concerns or worries their children have.

Q: All relationships take work. What does an authentic parent-teacher relationship look like and how do you build healthy, collaborative partnerships with parents?

We have a very close working relationship with our parents. This begins at the start of every day with both myself (the Western principal) and Ms Spring (our Chinese principal) outside the school gate greeting the children and parents when they arrive at school. We are also there at the end of the day. Every class has a parent representative we meet with regularly to discuss any concerns the parents may have regarding whole school issues. Our teachers also keep the parents closely informed about their children’s progress and behavior, celebrating the achievements and good behavior as well as highlighting any concerns. Parents know they will receive an answer in two working days for any non-urgent messages, and everyone is encouraged to respect teachers’ working hours.

Q: You mention 21st century skills. What are they and what role do parents play in teaching them?

When I was in school we didn’t have any computers. When I first started teaching I had a rolling blackboard and lots of chalk. Technology has transformed our lives and educational practice. We don’t know what careers the children will have in the future, nor do we know what they will be using. What we can do, however, is teach them skills that will enable them to succeed in anything they encounter.

Our children are used to working with interactive tablets and whiteboards, using various tools to research and present the information they have found.

At the heart of the children’s learning can be found the Personal Goals. It doesn’t matter what subject is taught, these personal goals are referred to and developed.

These are the 21st century skills that we teach the children — adaptability, communication, resilience, cooperation, ethics, respect, empathy, critical thinking skills and international mindedness. The world has become much smaller, and our children are taught to think and communicate in both English and Chinese to a very high degree. No matter where they are in the world in the future, these skills will help them succeed and conquer any challenge they face.

Q: A report from the National Association for the Education of Young Children said “Young children do best — now and later — when they are nurtured within a tightly woven web of love.” How does this relate to teacher-parent collaboration and how do you create your web?

If a child feels happy, safe and loved they learn extremely well and flourish. We work closely with our parents, because we are all here to help the children succeed and be the very best they can be. So we work hard to ensure our parents, children and teachers are happy. If our teachers are happy, this communicates itself to the children and also makes them happy. If the children are happy the parents are happy, which then also makes the teachers happy. Everyone is valued here and loved.

Q: Can you give a summarizing statement about the future of SUIS? What does the school hope to achieve for its future and the future of its students?

At the center of SUIS is the concept of East meets West. We take the very best of both Eastern and Western educational pedagogies to ensure the children receive the very best start possible. No one knows what the future will bring, but the education we provide at Shangyin enables parents to retain a choice later on in terms of which universities and where the children may apply. One of our graduates received a very high public schools award recently, and others have attained places at the world’s top universities. The holistic education we deliver provides a firm foundation that will enable our children to be successful in whatever challenges they face in the future.

We understand that being a parent is not easy, but it is only through working together in a close partnership that our children will have the very best start to their lives. We believe in this partnership, our school is stronger and our children are more successful because of it.