Take 2 minutes to help your parents help you 
THE BIGGEST THING THAT HELPS YOU BE HAPPIER AND MORE SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOL IS SOMETHING YOU MIGHT HATE.
“How was school?” Yep. When your mom asks you about your day, you do better in school.1
Take two minutes to help your parents help you:“Hey Mom, can you start asking me how my school day went? An education nonprofit I trust says it’s proven to help me do better and feel safer in school. Our conversation doesn’t have to be anything deep, but when you know a little about how I’m doing, it helps me care a little more about school. And success in school (even if that just means I’m less angry there all day) will help me be more successful after I graduate.”
It’s true: The way you see school defines how well you do. If you hate it, you’ll be less successful (according to the research and, tbh, common sense). Students who get suspended for something minor lose trust for the system, and tend to start doing major stuff.2 Plus, parents who know you’re struggling will naturally help you get back on track—they don’t have to know HOW much class you’re cutting, but even if they know a little, they can help.3
If you want your parents even more involved… reach out. We’ll share some resources.
These studies aren’t just correlation, they’re causation. In some, the researchers predict outcomes: they follow students to see what factors (8 types of parent involvement, 4 types of school involvement) made an impact: talking to your parents about school had the biggest impact. In the more advanced studies, they actually change parent behavior, and students started doing better.
1. This study in Nature. ↩
2. This APA publication and this one, too. ↩
3. These three studies on parent involvement. ↩