Care for the Family's speaking after Anne Longfield suggested parents in the south were more likely to help their children succeed at school through their 'tiger' style of parenting.
Southern parents are more likely to request extra homework or sign their children up for music lessons, she said.
The Commissioner's Growing Up North research found that the north-south attainment divide opens up in secondary school.
The report found that school leavers from London and the south-east are more likely to go to competitive universities than those in the north.
Speaking to The Times, Ms Longfield said: "As northern parents, we need to be aware of these inconsistencies and variations in secondary schools and push hard for our schools to show how they are improving and helping our children to achieve.
"There is much we northern parents can learn about this parent power."
Speaking on Premier's News Hour, Katharine Hill from Care for the Family said: "The assumption of this report is that all children want to go to university and achieve well academically but actually all our kids are different and [going to university] is not going to be for everyone.
"The best thing to do to encourage your child is to get them help in subjects they're best at so that they can flourish and be confident."
"Spotting the things our children are good at can go such a long way in our relationship with them, helping them to achieve and make a difference in the world."