“Through the PTA a good deal more of that essential element, father, has been put to work to produce improvements in homes, schools, and neighborhoods and in community, state, and national services for children and youth.”Today, there is documented evidence of what our founders knew instinctively: Children benefit from their fathers’ involvement in their schools.

Research by the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that this is true even when a child’s mother is already involved in the school. A father’s involvement “exerts a distinct and independent influence” on a child’s success in school.

What, then, are the benefits of father involvement? When fathers are involved in school, their children:

• Learn more.

• Perform better in school.

• Exhibit healthier behavior.

• Have fewer discipline problems.

• Are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities.

• Enjoy school more.