Family-school link vital for learning

Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar said here on Sunday that family-school partnerships are a vital link for better education.

The governor was inaugurating the first scientific forum on “School and Family” in the presence of Education Minister Ahmed Al-Issa at the Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh on Sunday.
The aim of the family-school partnership framework is to encourage sustainable and effective partnerships between all members of the school community including teachers, families and students. A strong family-school partnership improves both academic and behavioral outcomes for students.
Speaking to the press, the governor said that he was pleased to take part in the forum which aims to build an effective communication between the school and the family. 
“Such a relationship will build a high level of education as well as awareness of their obligations toward educating students,” Prince Faisal said, recalling that from the inception of the Kingdom, teachers in schools have played a predominant role in promoting education among students.
Al-Issa said that school and family form an ideal partnership for progress and reforms in education.
The education minister said that this event aimed to develop a more profound understanding of partnership and development, and to identify the most prominent educational methods, practices and problems faced by the school and the family.
Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Education Dr. Haya Al- Awwad said that there are some 5 million students who come from more than 2.5 million homes from various parts of the Kingdom. She said proper school-family partnerships will pave the way for sustainable development.
Family-school partnerships are collaborative relationships and activities involving school staff, parents and other family members of students at a school.
Effective partnerships are based on mutual trust and respect, and shared responsibility for the education of children and young people at the school.
Families are the first educators of their children and they continue to influence their children’s learning and development during the school years, and long afterwards. Schools have an important responsibility in helping to nurture and teach future generations and families to trust schools to provide educational foundations for their children’s future. 
At the same time, schools need to recognize the primary role of the family in education. This is why it is important for families and schools to work
together in partnership. 
Research demonstrates that effective schools have high levels of parental and community involvement. This involvement is strongly related to improved student learning, attendance and behavior. Family involvement can have a major impact on student learning, regardless of the social or cultural background of the family.
Family involvement in schools is therefore central to high quality education and is part of the core business of schools.