In the past 48 hours I have received not one, not two, not three, but nearly a dozen emails from my daughter’s school imploring parents (namely dads) to help out with the annual Christmas program. Set designs need to be constructed, costumes need to be sewn and audio and lighting issues need to be resolved. Bottom line: The school wants parents to step up in order to make the holiday concert/pageant a rousing success.
My point in discussing the avalanche of emails is not to disparage the school in anyway; rather it illustrates a clear attempt to encourage parental involvement. In many cases well-meaning moms and dads don’t know what they can do to get involved at their child’s school. The emails regarding my daughter’s school Christmas program are clear cut and offer tangible ways a mother or father can contribute to their child’s education, albeit in a highly tactile way.
At a time when many school districts are bemoaning lack of parental involvement while trying to institute educational reform, at least my kid’s school is trying. Much has been said about research, which shows that parental involvement begets higher test score and graduation rates; better school attendance and more motivated students, but it seems like the onus falls to educators when it comes to defining what exactly being involved entails.
In Los Angeles, almost every school in the district has a parent center. The centers are open for a few hours each day, to provide advice and information to parents in order for them to keep track of their child’s progress in the classroom. While the program has plenty of naysayers complaining about the centers’ hours, lack of equipment and lack of staff training, in my opinion, something is better than nothing.
What’s more, if a parent really cares about how well his child is doing in school he will make any and all attempts to insure that he is getting the information needed. No amount of direct emails, student centers or written notices is going to motivate an apathetic parent, who never makes it to conferences or other campus events; who seldom gets his children to school on time or at all; who are unreachable by phone or mail, or simply refuse to participate in his child’s education.
What kinds of things do you do to stay involved in your child’s schooling?
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