According to the Search Institute, parental support is vital in building a student's connectedness to school. The Search Institute reports that research found that "family or parent involvement has a significant impact on students' well-being and success in school [in the following ways]:

• Increased commitment to education. When parents are involved in school, students tend to have higher levels of commitment to their own education. A recent analysis of parent involvement by Search Institute for the General Mills Foundation found that 6th-12th grade students with involved parents tend to be more motivated in school and more committed to continuing education beyond high school.

• Reduced school problems. Similarly, a Child Trends report found that 6th-12th grade students whose parents are highly involved in their education are less likely to experience various problems at school (Running in Place: How American Families Are Faring in a Changing Economy and an Individualistic Society, 1994). For example, 26 percent of students with highly involved parents are in the bottom half of their class, compared to 56 of those whose parents are minimally involved. And 11 percent of youth with highly involved parents have repeated a grade, compared to 25 percent of those whose parents are minimally involved. Indeed, some research suggests that parent involvement is a more powerful predictor of student behavior than family income.

• Reduced high-risk behaviors. The Search Institute analysis found that problem behaviors, such as alcohol use, violence, and anti-social behavior, decrease as parent involvement increases.

• Increased after-school involvement. Parent involvement is a strong predictor of levels of involvement in extracurricular and non-school activities, Child Trends reports. Overall, 42 percent of youth with low-involvement parents are involved in non-school activities, such as scouting, religious youth groups, or non-school sports, compared to 79 percent of youth with high-involvement parents."

Source: www.search-institute.org