When parents and teachers listen, learn, and lead together, children thrive.
| In this article, you’ll discover: • The lost connection: Reconnecting with Gurukul roots • Why parent involvement in education matters • Lessons from India: Ground-level success stories • Global viewpoint: What the world is doing • Ways to build a strong school and parent partnership • Pitfalls that parents should watch out for • Interactive moments: Quick reflections for parents |
These are not just passing thoughts. They are the quiet emotions that live between home and school – the gap where a child’s struggles often go unseen. So, when schools and homes function in isolation, children slip through the silence. A stronger school and parent partnership creates student support systems that listen before judging and help children grow.
The lost connection: Reconnecting with Gurukul roots
In ancient Gurukul systems, education wasn’t confined to the classroom. A guru was a lifelong anchor who nurtured wisdom and shaped character. Parents, peers, and elders contributed to the child’s learning journey. That was a genuine parent-teacher relationship: holistic, constant, and collective. Today’s education system needs to rediscover that synergy.
As digital learning and exam ranks take centre stage, rebuilding that living network, where parents, teachers, and communities work together, is essential for maximising educational support for children.
Why parent involvement in education matters
Studies across the globe consistently show that children perform better when their parents are involved in their learning process.
| In 400 villages in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, PAHAL activities included opportunities for parents to get involved with their children’s homework, which saw dramatic improvements in literacy levels. |
| The 2008 Family Involvement and Children’s Literacy study by Harvard Graduate School of Education explains that when individual parents became increasingly involved in their children’s education from kindergarten to fifth grade, children’s literacy performance increased as well, on average. |
These numbers represent something deeper: students who feel supported at home and understood in school experience the kind of confidence that textbooks alone cannot build.
Lessons from India: Ground-level success stories
Each of these showcases innovative parent-teacher collaboration that’s rooted in real life.
- NIPUN Maharashtra Mission
Under the NIPUN Maharashtra Mission, lakhs of mothers stepped into the role of educators as part of the state’s Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) initiative. Many of these women, who had little formal education, hosted learning circles in their homes. This grassroots movement redefined the parent-teacher relationship, placing families at the heart of the learning process.
- Parenting Month in Jharkhand
Aligned with UNICEF guidelines, government schools in Ranchi organised ‘Parenting Month’, a month-long series of activities honouring the role of parents in child development. The Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) instructed schools to implement a dedicated parenting activity calendar, which the Block Resource Person (BRP) and the Cluster Resource Person (CRP) monitor daily.
- Chandigarh’s Mission 100
In May, the UT education department launched Mission 100, where several government schools in Chandigarh organised special parent-teacher meetings to encourage collaboration between teachers and parents in developing plans for extra classes and guidance to help students clear their supplementary exams.
Global viewpoint: What the world is doing
While India leads in community-based learning methods, some global experiences also focus on parent involvement in education.
| The 2013 Getting Parents Involved: A Field Experiment in Deprived Schools article by The Review of Economic Studies mentions that parents of middle-school children in France were invited to participate in a simple program of parent-school meetings on how to get better involved in their children’s education. |
| A study conducted in 2019 found that in rural China, around 6,000 students and 600 teachers found that schools with more active communication between home and school saw significant drops in learning-related anxiety and improvements in achievements. |
| A Collaborative Approach to Enhance Quality Education in Foundation Phase Inclusive Classes in South Africa 2024, an article by ResearchGate, claims that several South African schools, guided by the Ubuntu principle, have implemented inclusive teaching through collaborative partnerships between schools, stakeholders, and parents, where each of their roles is clearly defined. |
Ways to build a strong school and parent partnership
- Weekly WhatsApp check-ins
- How it works: Teachers share brief voice notes summarising the week and inviting parent feedback
- Why it matters: It is real-time, regular, and personal and builds parents’ confidence in supporting learning at home
- Solution-focused PTMs
- How it works: Instead of discussing only marks, focus on topics such as “Supporting exam stress” or “Exploring better reading habits at home”
- Why it matters: These sessions shift the conversation from evaluation to co-creation, using reports as touchpoints, not endpoints
- Parent orientation on foundational learning
- How it works: Host orientation sessions for parents of Grade I-III students about how children learn – phonics, number sense, and curiosity
- Why it matters: Empowering parents with basic tools and strategies creates a stronger learning environment at home, especially during early childhood when habits and mindsets are formed
- Co-host learning days
- How it works: Invite parents to co-design and participate in ‘Family Learning Days’ with storytelling corners, group math games, or science demos
- Why it matters: When parents actively participate in learning activities, it strengthens mutual respect and reinforces that education is a shared responsibility, not limited to school hours
- Community-led curriculum labs
- How it works: Parents as volunteers can co-lead book reading sessions, gardening clubs, or science project groups, aligning with the school curriculum
- Why it matters: When learning spills into community settings, it deepens learning through real-world applications and creates shared curiosity across households
These actions shape a stronger student support system across school and home.
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Sakshi and her science project
A quiet 9-year-old Sakshi came home one evening with a science project assignment. Wanting her to do well, her mom jumped in – researching, designing, and building the model. At school, the project drew praise, but Sakshi stood silently beside it, unsure of how to explain something she hadn’t made.
Her teacher noticed this, and during the next PTM, she gently asked, “How much of this did Sakshi build on her own?”
That night, Sakshi finally confessed, “I wanted to try… but it felt like you already knew the right way.”
That is when her mother realised that she had meant to support, not overshadow. So the next time, she asked, “What’s your idea? How do you want to do this?”
The project that Sakshi built wasn’t perfect and had its own flaws. But Sakshi was proud of what she had created. And this time, the applause felt earned.
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Interactive moments: Quick reflections for parents
Take a moment and answer these questions:
- Have you spoken to your child’s teacher beyond exams?
- Do you know this topic is being taught in school this week?
- Have you asked your little one what they are finding difficult to learn?
- What is the one thing you can do this week to support your child’s learning?
These aren’t big demands, yet they make a big difference. When your child witnesses that you are making an effort with their teacher, they learn to trust more deeply.
Education doesn’t end with homework sheets or exam marks. Its impact travels home through discussions around the dinner table, weekend reading, or bedtime stories. Parent-teacher collaboration is that bridge, turning classrooms and homes into synchronised spaces of understanding, resilience, and care.
It is time we revive the spirit of the ancient Gurukul, where learning thrived in community, values, and deep relationships. Children feel seen, heard, and empowered when the school and parent partnership is an ongoing and sincere effort. Because the strongest classrooms are built by trust, teamwork, and the quiet power of connection.