Demand to partner with parents has intensified with increasing accountability
With schools increasingly held accountable for the performance of every student, the demand to partner with parents has intensified. When the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was enacted five years ago, it was touted as a way to empower parents to ensure their children received a good education. If schools are chronically failing academically, children can receive tutoring or transfer. However, in 2003-04 only 1% of eligible students chose to transfer, and only 19% participated in supplemental services such as tutoring, according to a recent report by Appleseed, a nonprofit organization in Washington. Such escape valves give parents leverage, but it's perhaps more important for family members to be brought in as allies as local schools plan improvement, experts say. "The revolution of [the No Child Left Behind Act] is it really institutionalized parent involvement in schools in a way that says, ‘Your contribution is more than just sending your kids and baking cookies,’" says Edwin Darden, director of education policy at Appleseed. But, he adds, "there's a long way to go in terms of parents really understanding fully what the rights and the opportunities are of No Child Left Behind." NCLB actually requires schools that need improvement to inform and involve parents in their strategies, but federal and state monitors have not been paying much attention to that part of the law, says Anne Henderson of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
Cultural and language barriers between parents and school staff often are a problem. When Baruti Kafele, principal of Newark Tech high school in New Jersey, hears educators lamenting that certain groups of parents just won't get involved, he tells them, "That is an excuse, and it is unacceptable." Research shows students do better when teachers and parents get past their misunderstandings and work together. Ms. Henderson cites a study of schools with large portions of low-income students that found that when teachers did a three-part outreach—getting to know families, sending home assignments that parents could do with kids, and phoning routinely to talk about students' progress—there was a 40 to 50% faster rate of student improvement in reading and math. A state legislator in Texas, frustrated by what he sees as parents' lack of engagement, is taking a more hard-nosed approach. Rep. Wayne Smith proposed a law recently that would fine parents for failing to show up at a parent-teacher conference without a legitimate excuse. One bright note: The percent of parents who participated in a general school meeting rose from 75% in 1993 to 85% in 2003, according to a recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics.
When it comes to giving parents options if schools are failing, one key is for them to receive clearer and timely information. The Appleseed study looked at reports on school performance that go out to parents and discovered "some that were, frankly, truly awful," Mr. Darden says; they were packed with statistics and jargon. Experts also cite the lack of better performing schools to transfer to, a strong desire to stay in neighborhood schools, and poor communication with parents about tutoring options as reasons for the low transfer and tutoring rates. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) acknowledges the need for improvements in these areas. Federal education officials are planning to visit 14 districts to focus attention on parental involvement and supplemental services. An independent bipartisan commission also released recommendations for improving NCLB this week. The report included a requirement that public school districts create an office or designate a contact person for parents to talk with about options for their children. Meanwhile, some grass-roots groups around the country already have been successfully lobbying their school districts to do more to include parents in decision-making.
Christian Science Monitor
By Stacy A. Teicher
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[Editor’s Note: Information on the Appleseed report and the full report itself are available below. The report makes a series of recommendations for strengthening NCLB support and accountability as to parental involvement, notices, and supplemental services. Mr. Darden is a former NSBA attorney. The second link is to information on the independent bipartisan commission report.]
[Appleseed report on NCLB]
[NSBA School Law pages on Aspen Institute commission report]