Helicopter Parents Help Students, Survey Finds

By SARA LIPKA

Study abroad, research, and big projects are said to improve learning

Helicopter parents, notorious for hovering over their college-age children, may actually help students thrive, according to this year's National Survey of Student Engagement. Students whose parents intervene on their behalf — 38 percent of freshmen and 29 percent of seniors — are more active in and satisfied with college, says the monstrous annual report affectionately known as