PISA 2022 perspectives on parental involvement

The impact of parents and families in education

Across OECD countries, pupils who reported that they regularly take part in family activities (e.g. eating together), and whose family members dedicate time to talk with them about their school day had markedly higher test scores, particularly in maths. This trend persisted even after taking into account socio-economic factors, showing the critical influence of parental support on academic success. While socio-economic status undoubtedly plays a role, the level of active parental involvement appears to be a decisive factor in nurturing academic proficiency.

Pupils with better home support exhibit positive attitudes toward school and learning. Across all countries, those receiving greater family support showed a greater sense of belonging at school, life satisfaction, confidence in self-directed learning and reduced anxiety towards maths.

Lessons learnt from school closures

PISA 2022 reveals missed opportunities to strengthen school-home partnerships during COVID-19 school closures. A significant drop in parental involvement, especially in learning-related activities, was observed across many countries from 2018 to 2022. At that time, very few countries worldwide showed increase in parent-initiated discussions (only Romania at EU level) or parental involvement in teacher-initiated discussions (for which no EU country showed an increase).

The education systems showing more positive trends in parental involvement saw stable or improved maths performance, notably benefiting disadvantaged pupils. However, this positive trend coincided pupils feeling like they belonged less at school, possibly due to academic pressure.

These findings emphasise the need for proactive measures to enhance collaboration between schools and families to support pupils’ academic success and overall well-being.