Parent interest helps student performance

DURHAM, N.H., June 2 (UPI) -- A student whose parents are involved in his or her education is more likely to do well in school, U.S. researchers said.

The study, published in the Journal of Human Resources, also found parents may reduce their efforts when school resources increase and thus diminish the effects of improved school resources.

"Parental effort is consistently associated with higher levels of achievement, and the magnitude of the effect of parental effort is substantial. We found that schools would need to increase per-pupil spending by more than $1,000 in order to achieve the same results that are gained with parental involvement," study researcher Karen Smith Conway of the University of New Hampshire said in a statement.

The research, based on national data from over 10,000 eighth-grade students in public and private schools, also found parents seemed particularly interested in the academic achievements of their daughters.

"There are a number of theories about why girls seem to garner more attention from their parents than boys," Conway said. "One possibility is that girls are more communicative with their parents so these conversations about academics are easier for parents to have with their daughters."

The findings are published in the Journal of Human Resources.