Five myths about the role of parents in literacy development – and how to break them

Parents are their children’s first and most powerful educators. Yet their role is often misunderstood, undervalued, or ignored, especially if parents have low educational attainment levels.

Through a Community of Practice on the Power of Parents we set out to understand, “How can parents become literacy champions?”. Through discussions with practitioners from 50 organisations across Asia, Africa and Latin America, here’s what we discovered: the real barrier to parental involvement is not the parent’s ability but rather their low confidence levels, shaped by systemic, social, and cultural factors.

In this blog, we address five myths that hold parents back — and share frontline voices and evidence on what works instead.

Myth 1: “If parents didn’t finish school, they can’t help with learning.”

Reality:Literacy is more than reading and writing. It includes speaking, listening, and making meaning — skills parents possess and build every day with their child(ren).

“We’ve seen powerful gains when parents use storytelling, songs, and prayer in local languages. These are legitimate and impactful forms of literacy.” – Wedad Sayibu, School for Life Ghana

Research shows:

• Talking, listening, and storytelling — things parents already do at home — build oral language skills, one of the strongest predictors of later reading success (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008).
• Using home languages for stories, songs, and daily talk helps build greater motivation, stronger memory, and deeper engagement at school for children. (UNICEF, 2016; World Bank, 2021)

What to do differently:

• Recognise oral traditions as literacy assets.
• Centre family stories and household routines in learning activities.
• Use play, conversation, and home language as entry points in low-literacy contexts.

Myth 2: “Fathers just provide financially.”

Reality:Many fathers want to support learning but face stigma, time barriers, and exclusion from “mother-focused” programmes.

“Even when men want to contribute, they get mocked — by the community and even partners.  – Mpume Danisa, Clowns Without Borders South Africa

Research shows:

• Engaged fathers boost children’s academic, social, and emotional outcomes; neglecting their role misses a huge developmental opportunity for children (Sarkadi et al., 2008).
• When fathers share caregiving, mothers feel less stressed and better supported (d’Orsi et al., 2023).
• Father engagement shifts gender norms, fostering more equality for the next generation (International Step by Step Association, 2024).

What to do differently:

• Recognise the specific challenges fathers face and avoid one-size-fits-all “parent” messaging.
• Use male facilitators or peer champions to challenge stigma and model positive parenting.
• Build on fathers’ strengths, such as play, protection, and guidance.
• Meet fathers where they are and where they feel most comfortable – at workplaces, markets, or community centres.

Myth 3: “Parents living in poverty don’t have time or money to support learning.”

Reality:Learning doesn’t need money or spare hours. Micro-moments — a chat while cooking, counting steps, naming vegetables — build skills.

“Many parents say, ‘I don’t have money to buy toys, so what will I do attending a parenting programme?’” – Nazia Sharmin, BRAC International

What research shows:

• Back-and-forth interactions between parents and children actively shape brain development (Centre on the Developing Child, 2021 update).
• When parents turn everyday routines and household materials into play, children gain measurable cognitive and emotional benefits (American Economic Review,2020).

What to do differently:

• Turn chores into learning games.
• Share no-cost ideas that parents can fit into daily routines.

Myth 4: “Only teachers have the ability to teach.”

Reality:Schools alone cannot meet a child’s every learning need. Parents are children’s first teachers and daily mentors and bring essential strengths that, when valued, help children thrive.

“There’s that perception that the teacher knows it all. So how can I, as a parent, help?” – Portia Dery, The Open University

Research shows:

• Respectful, trusting relationships between parents and teachers improve family-school engagement (Brookings, 2024).
• Recognising families’ knowledge, experiences, and cultural practices strengthens parent-school relationships and boosts children’s academic and emotional growth (Open University, 2024).

What to do differently:

• Train teachers to integrate cultural and linguistic knowledge of parents into classrooms.
• Build feedback loops with parents so they can see their input driving change.
• Develop and integrate tools to measure trust and collaboration in your programmes.

Myth 5: “Confidence is personal — parents must build it themselves.”

Reality:Confidence grows when systems value and include parents. Too often parents have been dismissed or excluded, teaching them to stay silent.

“Parents do not feel they can add much, and are told this — often indirectly — by the system itself.” – Meredith Bates, Delta Education Collective

Research shows:

• Parents gain confidence when schools recognise family capital (Goodall, 2019, Jacobs, 2024).
• Trusted social networks boost parental confidence in decision-making (National Academies of Sciences, Parenting Matters, chap. 2, 2016).

What to do differently:

• Review your policies and practices for bias or exclusion— for example, check if meeting schedules exclude working parents or if materials assume only English proficiency.
• Drop deficit terms with strength-based language — for example, shift from saying ‘parents are disengaged’ to ‘parents engage in ways that may not always be visible to schools.’
• Celebrate parents as educational experts in public forums.

A call to action

Parents aren’t just “helpers” — they are partners in learning. Here’s how you can change the narrative:

• Implementers: Make building parents’ confidence a core outcome of your programme.
• Funders: Back parent and community-rooted programmes that tap local knowledge and shift how parents are seen.
• Policymakers: Replace deficit labels with strength-based language and embed parent voice in policy.

It’s time to unlock the full power of parents — so every child can thrive.

Our project on the Power of Parents was supported by mc2h foundation, a private foundation committed to tackling literacy challenges in West Africa.

If you’d like to connect or learn more about GSF and our work on the Power of Parents, please write to Priyanka Upreti (priyanka.upreti@globalschoolsforum.org).