Get Schooled

By Tony

August 19, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this

Laura, parents are vitally important for children to be successful in school and there is plenty of research to back that up. An economist reported earlier this year that parental involvement can amount to the equivalent of $1000 per year.

A conflict, and your post points to this, is in how we at schools utilize resources. You say that providing childcare would help, but this means we have to divert money away from students in the classroom to pay for baby sitters. The use of tax funds are also limited, and sometimes schools have no resources to pay baby sitters.

Another study I read recently (and it may be the one already referenced) states that the more schools do for parents, the less they do. This puts us in a very bad situation.

Timing of meetings is another issue. It is of utmost importance to schedule meetings at times when parents can attend. They should be well publicized and parents should be highly encouraged to attend. In addition, there are times when schools/systems need to focus on communicating with the business community and it is OK to do that on their time.

All in all, parents are vital to children’s success, but this is not always on the parents’ terms.

By jim d

August 19, 2008 9:29 AM | Link to this

“Parents need to partner with the school for their child to succeed,”

LIP SERVICE simply more ability to point fingers. Truth beknown most schools don’t generally want parents involved other than for selling wrapping paper or some other flavor of the month. those schools that do welcome parental input and actual participation generally either abuse the parents or ignore them. So I truly fail to understand. Why the facade?

By Teacher, Too

August 19, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this

The partners should be parents first. After all, they have the vested interest in their child’s education. However, it’s not always possible for parents to be involved,especially those parents who work more than one job.

When I taught in Texas, we reached out to parents by providing an inexpensive dinner (think hot dogs) and baby-sitting for the children. I believe we showed a Disney movie in the auditorium with teacher supervision. We also found a way to run the buses to pick up parents who did not have transportation. Finally, we ran bi-lingual meetings.

The parents came. It was one of our highest attended parent meetings. Sometimes, it’s not that they parents aren’t interested or don’t care- they just don’t have the means to attend.

Businesses are important- they let us know what they need in terms of an educated work force. But our target audience should be getting non-involved parents vested in their child’s education. That’s what NCLB doesn’t address- and that’s a big part of the reason why we see failing schools in low-income/poverty-stricken areas.

By Ernest

August 19, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this

Aren’t many business leaders parents also. Aren’t some meetings held with those who work can’t attend? It’s great that many of our school systems are leveraging technology to help make meetings accessible to those that can not physically attend.

The schools target partners are the community as a whole. I agree with Tony that it is interesting that in these days of scrutinizing school budgets and becoming ‘lean’ you mention providing day care during meetings. I’m not sure providing that would result in more people attending meetings.

By jim d

August 19, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this

Business and education at one time were two vital but different streams that fed our culture. Business values and methods were more “product-oriented” while education was concerned with less concrete goals such as “helping our youth become good citizens.”

Motivated by a need for an improved labor force, businesses continue to work with schools in ways that are affecting every aspect of the education process. Unfortunately, educators, facing greater costs, have bought into the financial aid provided by business, all but abandoning the goals that public schools were founded on (see bold type above) and now focus on an end product of providing a “good little work force”

The educational community’s accountability is purely to the business community. And that my friends is the pure and simple truth.

By Imma Parent

August 19, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this

You know, there are times when I think my neighborhood school doesn’t want parental supervision even though we’re in a “low income” (yeah right) area. For instance, the schools open house was from 8am until 3pm. Just who is this open house for? Certainly not working parents. My husband stopped by to pick up information since I have to be at work at 8 and he said the parking lot was practically empty! Sure we have our share of parents who’d rather spend $500 on designer clothes even though we’re supposed to wear uniforms (which go unenforced by the principal) and those who don’t even show up for parent-teacher conferences (but will show up to something when there’s free food or their child is dancing on stage).

The administration doesn’t want our input, help, or volunteer hours. They want our money and our mouths shut.

We’re moving OUT of Dekalb County next year because I REFUSE to send my son to the neighborhood middle school (2 sexual assaults last year, drug sales, etc.). Hopefully we can get someplace that care about the students AND the parents.

By Whatever

August 19, 2008 10:10 AM | Link to this

jim d — my sentiments exactly.

By jim d

August 19, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this

Scuse me Imma,

You may wish to consider which would be a better investment. A new home or a private education. (compare costs so to speak)

Check it out

By SallyB

August 19, 2008 10:20 AM | Link to this

This parental involvement [meaning physical presence] thing is a fairly recent phenomenon. Back in the day, most parents were never to be seen at school unless there were big problems with the child or the child was in a performance o some kind.

HOWEVER, parental ATTITUDE/EXPECTATIONS have always been a huge factor in the success of a student. I actually have never met the parents of some of my very best students. Many are working more than one job and/or have younger children at home. The selling of wrapping paper/candy/cards,etc. is a real hardship for many parents, as is attending meetings in the evening/aternoon. In fact, I have rarely had an unmotivated, undisciplined student whose parent’s presence at conferences/PTA meetings/fundraisers has led to a positive change.

By simon

August 19, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this

I agree with jim d. Schools really don’t want parent involvement. They just want parent support - of things schools decide to do. Businesses, well, they can give you money, so even though they really don’t want their involvement either, they will tolerate them.

By SallyB

August 19, 2008 10:29 AM | Link to this

imma Parent jimd is right. I have many friends who have faced this issue. Most are quite happy that they chose Private school. There is much less chance that its policies/curriculum/population will change for the worse while your child is there, while public schools change these things and latch on to every Cure Du Jour almost as often as people change underwear. Neigborhoods change, too.

By Imma Parent

August 19, 2008 11:00 AM | Link to this

jim d & SallyB - thanks for the info about private school. Maybe I should’ve said we’re also fleeing the Section 8 neighbors that have invaded our street. We’re surrounded by people who think kids in the street at 11pm/Midnight is cool and old cars, clotheslines, bbq grills and trashy curbs are decoration.

(Sorry for the rant!)

By jim d

August 19, 2008 11:09 AM | Link to this

Imma,

In that case—perhaps a mountain top in Tn?

By Imma Parent

August 19, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this

I certainly wish they had one for sale! ;-)

By jim d

August 19, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this

Imma,

You might try here :-)

By Sam

August 19, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this

Seemingly off subject but relevant re schools as workforce production centers for their real partner, business, check out this entertaining video…

Do schools kill creativity?

Now, to the extent they do kill creativity, when schools say they want parental involvement, what is a parent to do? Say “Yes, I will be your partner to kill my child’s creativity in order to get her workforce-ready.”?

By Lee

August 19, 2008 7:03 PM | Link to this

Schools say they want to “partner” with the parent because to do otherwise will acknowledge the schools real role. That is:

Schools merely perform a service. Same as the garbageman or policeman. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Schools want to say they “partner” with the parent because it allows them to assume other roles that traditionally and rightfully belong to the parent. (Sex education?)

You even have some bloggers on here who want to send parents to a “parenting class.”

Tell you what, you concentrate on providing appropriate level instruction on the academic subjects and leave everything else to me. Seems you have hard enough time getting that right.

The last thing I need is some government bureaucrat trying to tell my how to raise my kids.

By M

August 21, 2008 8:20 AM | Link to this

Face it - schools are BIG BUSINESS - and the real partners are themselves and their suppliers, we, the parents are NOT really wanted except as convenient scapegoats when the ‘product’ doesn’t meet specs. Yes, there are bad parents, and yes, there are problem students but the purpose of the school system is to keep itself running with our tax dollars. If that wasn’t the case then why are our kids failing? Tell me what Cox being on ‘smarter than a 5th grader’ was doing if not self-promoting? I’ll bet those 5th graders were not representative of her state. Tell me also if she was getting PAID my state taxe $ for that little junket - or was she gettin vacation pay? Maybe someone else covered the airfare and hotel, but she better not have been getting regular pay. It’s great - big business that doesn’t have to file a true annual report.