The President of the EU Parliament wants to strengthen the rights of MEPs who are expectant parents. However, several agreements are still needed before proxy voting for MEPs can happen.
By Marion Bergermann
Parents play a crucial role in the education system, especially in times of digital education tools and homeschooling during the corona pandemic. The interaction between parents, children and the school system has changed significantly over the years. Parents have become an integral part of their children's learning process. Read all the news about parents from the Table.Briefings editorial team here. The role of parents in digital education Due to the coronavirus pandemic, parents and schools around the world have had to quickly adapt to new learning methods. Homeschooling and the increased use of digital education tools have become the norm. During this time, parents have not only supported their children's access to technology and online resources, but have also taken a more active role in the learning process. Digital education tools facilitate access to educational content. However, parents can be overwhelmed by the variety of platforms and programs. These tools offer a wealth of resources to promote learning, from interactive learning platforms to learning apps. Parents play an important role in helping their children understand and make sense of these tools and manage screen time to ensure a balanced learning experience. Parents and homeschooling During the coronavirus pandemic, parents have not only had to support their children in homeschooling educationally, but also demonstrate patience and flexibility. They had to adapt to new learning methods and monitor their children's progress at the same time. What's more, many parents have to pursue their own gainful employment in addition to providing childcare while homeschooling. In this context, the relationship between parents and teachers has also become increasingly important. Communication between the two parties is crucial to ensure the children's learning success. Through regular communication, parents were able to better understand their children's progress and at the same time provide teachers with important insights into the individual needs of pupils. However, open and constructive communication between teachers and parents plays a key role in children's educational success, and not just during homeschooling. Parents should actively participate in the relationship between teachers and parents to discuss their children's progress and provide teachers with insights into the individual needs of their students. This collaboration allows teachers to better tailor their teaching to the needs of students, which can ultimately lead to improved learning outcomes. Parents and education policy Parents play an active role in education policy by raising their voices and organizing themselves in various parent associations and initiatives. Their involvement ranges from local parent associations to national and international organizations that deal with educational issues. These parents' groups have a common goal: they want to ensure that their children's interests are adequately and effectively represented in education policy decision-making processes. They are vehemently committed to improving the quality of education and fight for schools to be adequately equipped. This is not just about teaching materials, but also about sufficient financial resources for schools, an appropriate infrastructure and access to modern technologies to meet changing educational requirements. In addition, these parent groups are advocating for innovative teaching methods that better cater to the diversity of learning styles and needs of students. They demand flexibility in curricula and adaptations that ensure a more comprehensive and inclusive education. Parents' initiatives have a major influence on education policy. Through petitions and discussions with education authorities and policy makers, they contribute to positive changes in the education system. Thanks to their efforts, students' needs are increasingly taken into account and parents' voices are heard. Overall, parents are indispensable players in the education system. Their involvement is crucial to improving their children's learning success. Parents can maximize their children's learning success by supporting them in the use of digital education tools, actively participating in homeschooling, maintaining a constructive relationship with teachers and engaging in education policy discussions.
