Brazilian Parents’ Educational Involvement Supports Students' Dedication To Schoolwork & Achievement

What is it about?

Using data from over four million fifth- and ninth-grade students enrolled in public schools across Brazil in 2017, we examined whether parents’ involvement in education predicts children’s academic achievement. We examined whether parent involvement directly supported children's reading and math achievement; whether any such links worked indirectly through children's completion of reading or math homework; whether there were any differences between the fifth and ninth graders; and whether there were any differences across parents’ years of education.

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Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash

Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Parents’ involvement in education appears to support their children’s dedication to their schoolwork and improve math and reading achievement. The everyday parenting behaviors studied here – such as parents encouraging their children to complete their homework and not miss classes – are available even to families with few resources and predict achievement even for parents with few years of schooling. Interventions and outreach programs should therefore target all parents, including those with limited formal schooling. Given high inequality and high returns to education in Brazil, encouraging parents to involve themselves in their children’s education could pay large dividends for children's long-term academic and career success.

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