How much should parents be involved in their child’s education?

By Alexis Birner
I have worked in several different schools, and the involvement of parents always varies.
Some parents want to be involved by attending every field trip, and are there at the classroom door to drop off and pick up their children at school every day. But not all parents have this luxury.
 
Is this the only way parents can be involved?
 
As a teacher, the students who seem to be most “successful”, academically and socially, are ones whose parents provide a fine balance between independence and support.
How is this achieved? Obviously it depends on each individual child.
 
In terms of parental involvement in their education, what I think is most important for a child is:

• That they are supported by their parents, emotionally and intellectually
• That their learning and growth continues outside of the classroom
• That parents take an active interest in what the child is learning at school, whether that be by displaying their work at home or discussing what they have learned
• That parents and children share a common goal in education; namely, that education serves to better them as people and to make them successful and independent individuals, both socially and financially

 
To what extent are you involved in your child’s education? How much do you think parents should be?