​Families have a crucial impact on student achievement. Research bears this out, and it’s well known by those who have been teachers in the classroom.

To discuss how the family as an institution impacts different aspects of life, public policy experts gathered for a webinar in a series called “Strengthening Families” on March 26, 2024. Hosted by the European Union and International Affairs Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Sutherland Institute, the event helped participants examine how family impacts education, health and human flourishing.

A natural order suggests that parents are a child’s first educator. The first person to teach a child affection or simple words – or even how to eat – is their parent.

History demonstrates this, too. In the early days of the country, families were often directly responsible for educating their children, either instructing themselves or privately paying for teachers. The resources of the household determined what parents could afford for their children. 

U.S. Supreme Court case law reaffirms what we know through nature and history: that the Constitution protects a fundamental right of parents to direct the care, upbringing and education of their children. And continuing research shows a strong connection between families and education. 

Here are three webinar takeaways on the impacts of family structure on student outcomes. 

Children in married households have better education outcomes 

Children who live with two married, biological parents have better education outcomes on average than children living in other types of family structures. Of course, there are children in alternate family structures that do extraordinarily well, but on average, the traditional household has far better odds of producing these outcomes. 

Reasons for this include the fact that married two-parent homes tend to have fewer stressors (like changes to family structure) and more resources (like money and time), both of which impact a child’s learning. Two parents, committed to each other and the child, have increased opportunities to distribute those resources between them in many ways.

For those who don’t have this family structure, the good news is that extended family can play a role in improving education outcomes as well. According to some research, extended family may benefit student outcomes; for instance, living with grandparents when children had a single mother did not make up for a lack of two biological parents but might have been beneficial for those young people’s educational attainment. Having additional time resources through extended family can help make a difference where the family structure is not headed by married parents.

Student outcomes are improved with parental involvement

Research shows that parental involvement has crucial impacts on a student’s education outcomes like better rates of attendance, motivation and graduation.

Parental involvement can include a variety of actions and choices by parents, like reading with a child at home, communicating with the school regularly, volunteering in the classroom, or attending parent-teacher conferences.

Not all involvement is made equally though. Some studies show that a parent’s help with homework is associated with positive outcomes so long as it’s supportive and not seen as intrusive by the child, which had negative impacts.  

Additionally, as students get older, it’s their own personal involvement in school, rather than the parents’, that is linked with better test scores. Research suggests that parents can have even more effective involvement with guidance from teachers.

Another interesting consideration is the education level of parents. More educated parents tend to spend more time with their children, regardless even of employment, according to research. More time spent with children might increase the likelihood of parental involvement in school.

Family-school partnership policies can support families with their students

Public policies have limitations in improving or changing family structures, but policymakers have direct jurisdiction over public schools, which can be a tool to assist families in helping with students. Clear communication and good information to families can support families of all types in being more effective in their involvement with schools.

Public policies should prompt school leaders and teachers to improve outreach to families. Policies could include communications strategies like calls, text campaigns, home visits and opportunities to participate in school.

Transparency within the institution helps too. Knowing overall student performance, school performance, or curriculum being used in the classroom promotes parent understanding and equips them to guide their child’s education.

Information should be made available at flexible and convenient times or locations (online) and in a variety of languages where needed so it can be accessible to the highest number of families.

Conclusion 

A 2022 Utah Foundation report sums up the link between family and education this way: “Strong family health is inextricably linked with a network of interrelated and self-perpetuating benefits. For instance, families with two parents are far less likely to live in poverty, and the children of those families are more likely to do well in educational attainment. The data are so stark that it is impossible to honestly examine economic or educational outcomes without considering family structure.”

Policymakers should continue to lead education reform with this understanding in mind.