New legislation, called the parent trigger, which is being proposed in more than 20 states, including New York, is about to make your role as an engaged parent a lot more complicated.
What is the parent trigger? California was the first to adopt it. There, it works like this: parents whose children attend a failing school can band together. If 51 percent of them sign a petition, they can demand, and the district must provide, a new set of administrators to run the school. In Texas, parents can pull the trigger after two or more years of an “unacceptable” performance rating. In Connecticut, a slightly different iteration of the parent trigger recently became law — this one calls for powerful parent councils to help run the school.
The trigger creates an opportunity for parents to be heard. Parents at schools that “pull the trigger” will be deciding among school operators. Some will offer bilingual education, others will offer inclusion classes, an international baccalaureate program, Advanced Placement courses or vocational training. Thirty years ago, “parental engagement” meant signing a report card once a quarter, attending the yearly parent-teacher conference and making a batch of brownies for a bake sale.
It turned out, though, that the good old days weren’t so good for low-income students. So over the last 15 years, parents were first invited — and now, in many places, are required — to participate in choosing what school their children will attend. It’s a great idea, but on the ground, it’s messy, frustrating, imperfect and staggeringly time-consuming. Public-school parents must attend chaotic school fairs and crowded open houses, navigate confusing guides and rules about choosing schools.
Some wealthy parents, even those who favor public education for their children, opt out and enroll their children in private and parochial schools, where the admission process is often much easier. Savvy middle-class parents (especially ones with lots of free time, who speak English and have college educations) come up with a credible short list of schools they like, but in the end, their children may not be allowed to attend, because of space. 
And sometimes the parents don’t even know that the “choice” they are making is a bad one. When researchers from the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington studied the school choice process in Hartford, they found that schools with the highest levels of parental satisfaction were often ones with the lowest levels of academic achievement. “You see this all over the country,” said Sarah Yatsko, a research analyst at the center.
We need to supply public-school parents with substantive training programs to help them figure out, for instance, what a good reading program looks like, what should be expected from a parent-teacher conference and how to ensure that elementary, middle and high school curriculums are preparing students for college. At the very least, parents need unbiased, accessible information about what solid research tells us works best in schools — even if they don’t have a computer at home or if English isn’t their first language. Source
Related article: Illinois Should Weigh Use of Parent Trigger
Related article: Illinois Should Weigh Use of Parent Trigger
7 comments:
I know, I know, it would only be fair if teachers had a trigger they could pull on parents AND administrators...
Seems a little degrading re: inner city parents. Do they really think inner-city parents aren't capable of picking good schools for their children?
I don't think it's degrading - it's realistic. All parents have not had the privilege of being considered important in the education equation. Those who have not, will need to be encouraged and educated on how to take advantage of their voice.
Title 1 acknowledges that and makes it a requirement that parents receive information on how to be involved and how to advocate for their child.
What do you think about making parent involvement a requirement? It seems that a lot of parents (inner city or not) check out by the time their kids are in high school. I'm
no saint when it comes to going to back to school nights, etc. However, if they were required, I wouldn't miss em. I think the Catholic schools require a degree of parent participation OR you pay a fine of sorts for not doing so.
Funny. I bet there would be very little correlation between test scores and which schools parents choose. For example, I'd choose a school that's close to my crib that is under control and that has mediocre test scores over a school farther away in a foreign area of town with glowing scores. Just saying that all of the focus on scores (a measure of a tiny scope of knowledge) is ridiculous and largely meaningless.
More parental involvement is essential in turning a school around. The parent needs to be handling the discipline problems at school. If the child acts up, the parent can sit in the class. If they miss work or miss sleeping in, perhaps the investment would increase. We think that the school district is responsible for raising the city's children. They are not. The school's job is to educate. Those who refuse to raise their children should face some type of consequence. Parenthood is more than a drunken boink with some unknown dude and yes this especially applies to the fathers.
There is a school in Chicago who had the essentially the same demographic as Dist. 150 schools save replacing a high AA population with a high hispanic population. They dramatically changed their last place status to one of prominence from an educational standpoint. 1. Teachers made home visits. 2. Schools called and engaged parents for truant children. 3. Children particpated in helping to write grants for needed items...created investment in the school, sense of pride and accomplishment, plus valuable real life learning. 4. Parents were recruited to rooms and/or activities and given tasks throughout the school day, before/after school. Again, creates investment and involvement. Nearly everyone can give something back.
5. Those teachers not interested in the program changes were removed/transitioned to other schools etc. 6. There were frequent meetings with administration/teachers/students with various topics to address or by specific groups (such as freshman, sophomores, football players, etc.
This school was turned around in a few years. Eventually even the aldermen and other politicians became involved as well as local businesses. Could be a model for 150 schools. Parents must be involved for success. For the most part they are not. We can dump $50 grand per student and won't be successful. attempting to change the student and send him back into a a disengaged enviroment will fail.
"...schools with the highest levels of parental satisfaction were often ones with the lowest levels of academic achievement."
This happens because the majority of parents don't have the time and/or the inclination to look behind the facade. Schools are masters of p.r. these days, talking heads and everything.
First of all, I am not sure how this would work in District 150 since all but 4 schools are labeled as failing schools by District 150.
The way parents judge schools is extremely subjective--all dependent on how their own children are faring in school. The parent who considers only grades will be happy if the child is getting good grades.
Some parents whose children are getting high grades may realize that the children are not being challenged and that the grades are inflated.
Of course, other parents will judge the school based on the discipline problems (or lack) in the classroom or school and, also, on how their own children are disciplined.
I still believe that parental involvement cannot be judged by how much time the parent spends at the school and/or contacting the school, etc. The most important involvement takes place at home.
Parental involvement possibly is best exerted through a strong PTO. I have been pleased with the PTO at Whittier--they listen to each other and to their children and have presented major issues to the board for resolution. A good PTO will involve itself with being a watchdog over what happens at school.
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