Parents, the saviors of schools

There is no chief cause of failing schools; there are many reasons why teachers are not always teaching effectively and students are not always learning lessons well. The chief cause of failing schools is neither racism nor crumbling facilities nor incompetent teachers. We ought not to blame (very much) the government or educators or students.

Improving parenting is the best way to turn poor students into good students, and it is the best way to turn good students into great students. Parents have an extraordinary power to fix the problems with our schools. Parents have power with school administrators and legislators, but far too often, they do not use it. There are more parents than members of Congress or members of school boards or superintendents or principals or teachers. There are more parents than mayors or governors or members of city councils. Parents have the advantage of their number, and this number can prevail in our democracy. Individual parents can also bring great influence to bear on the performance of schools simply by speaking up.

Increases in the amount of funding to schools for better facilities or more teachers do not produce proportional increases in the achievement of students. Students fail to learn and fail to advance chiefly because their parents are either absent or fail to encourage their children in their education or are actively opposed to the aims of educators. Too many parents fail to see the value of schooling. Parents can do more to retard their children’s educational advancement than all other factors put together.

Educational institutions and federal, state and local governments do not intervene in the management of households. In the main, parents are responsible for the governance of life in the home. Brilliant students can emerge from the worst of domestic situations. But far more often a bad domestic environment subverts the best intentions of young people to do well in school. On the other hand, most good students have their parents to thank for fostering their scholarship.

What should parents do?

Spend time with the kids doing homework. Often, despite their best intentions for their children, parents who have worked hard all day want and need to get a break at home. It is often difficult to sit right down and crack the books. But never fail to encourage children to read and learn. Television is seductive to parents and children alike. Limit its use. Telling the little ones to go do homework while the grownups watch TV is easy, but this can make children feel that homework is punishment.

Help children prepare for tests. Teach them that the best way to get over the fear of tests is to know the subject.

Ask teachers questions: "What do you expect my child to learn?" "What assignments have to be completed?" "How will I find out before the next report comes out whether my child is falling behind the rest of the class?" "How can I help my child succeed in school?"

Network with other parents. Share information, get answers to questions, find solutions to problems with the help of friends.

Get involved at school. At the very least, get to know the teachers and the principal. Make sure they know your name. If possible, volunteer to help with school activities. Some parents may become teacher aides or library assistants. Get involved with an organization that advocates improvements in education for children: join PTA or join or form a PTO. Where discipline problems in classrooms are more frequent and more severe, teachers will fail to meet their potential, and the students will certainly fail to meet theirs. If parents get involved with their schools, they can pressure administrators and school systems to improve the management of classes and, if necessary, remove poor teachers.

Get involved with local government. Find out what issues are most important to the neighborhood. Join the fight for better schools.

Follow the successes and failings of youngsters with a view toward rewarding the successes and correcting the failings.

Parents do not need to have all the answers. They do not have to tell teachers how to teach. But parents should look for and demand good results from their schools.

Parents have daunting responsibilities. But they also have awesome powers. Part of accepting responsibility is recognizing those powers and using them. In doing so, they will feel less of the burden of parenthood and more of the exhilaration that comes from seeing their children emerge as winners in school, with great promise that a little later their children will emerge victorious in life.