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You鈥檙e listening to the podcast edition of the 成人头条 audio newsline. Learn more about WSU 鈥� the home of Thinkers, Doers, Movers and Shockers 鈥� on the web at .
The involvement of parents in their children鈥檚 lives used to lessen as their children went off to college. Not so, anymore. According to Kim Sandlin, orientation coordinator at 成人头条, today鈥檚 universities are facing parents who are much more involved in their children鈥檚 lives than in previous generations.
Sandlin: "We鈥檙e really seeing an increase in the number of parents coming to programs such as orientation. Lots of colleges and universities have developed programs specifically to serve the needs of parents with full-time staff, programs throughout the entire year and many services or resources that parents can get on the Web or call up to receive.鈥�
Sandlin says parents are looking for different information than in the past.
Sandlin: "The change that we have seen over the years with parents, specifically at orientation programs, is the type of information they鈥檙e looking for, not necessarily the number or the involvement there, but the kinds of questions through the day-to-day activities of their student, such as checking e-mail, making payments on accounts and such.鈥�
Parents may have a variety of concerns, but Sandlin talks about some that are the most important.
Sandlin: "The things that we tell parents, No. 1 is really to make sure that their student is attending class, as it鈥檚 the No. 1 predictor of academic success on a college campus. So first they need to be going to class. And then second, we really encourage them to keep communication open between the student and the parent.鈥�
Sandlin offers a few additional tips.
Sandlin: "Another thing for parents to make sure their students are doing is allowing the appropriate time outside of class to prepare for class. Attending college is really a full-time job. You spend hours in class, but then two hours outside of class for every hour in class is, you know, what students should really be planning for as far as academic success and getting their work done."
Students who go to college for the first time have to learn personal responsibility very quickly, according to Sandlin.
Sandlin: "We talk to parents and students a lot about there鈥檚 no magic switch that happens between, you know, high school and college. So, all of a sudden they have all of this new freedom and they have to learn personal responsibility very quickly. One of our professors indicates that if a student misses a class in the first four weeks of when classes begin, then that student is much more likely to flunk the course or do poorly academically.鈥�
Sandlin says the process of getting information surprises some parents.
Sandlin: "One of the things parents ask about is how to access students鈥� information. And once a student enrolls in college they are protected under FERPA, so it鈥檚 not a surprise that they have to make an inquiry to get the information. It鈥檚 the process through which they have to go to get the information. And that can differ from department to department, from campus to campus. So it鈥檚 very, sometimes, frustrating for the parent to go through that process.鈥�
Given all the negative attention they receive in the media, you might expect to find swarms of 鈥渉elicopter parents鈥� at every high school and college campus across the country. These overly involved parents earned that nickname because they hover over their children, swooping in to fight their battles and make their decisions for them.
According to , such parents may in fact be rare. What鈥檚 more, a recent study found that a high level of parental involvement correlates with a positive college experience. And there is mounting evidence that parents should take more rather than less interest in their children鈥檚 education.
Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for 成人头条.