SKFrom the May 15, 1996 Daily Report Card:
SK-> *2   PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT:  A PANACEA OR A PAIN?
  ->    The notion that parental involvement in a child's education
  -> is critical is widely accepted.  However, differences arise over the
  -> type of involvement expected of parents.  Some demand
  -> parental control over what their children learn or how the school is
  -> managed.  Critics of this approach complain that too much
  -> parental involvement can become parent interference (Barlow, THE
  -> DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/7).
  ->    A bill in Congress, the Parental Rights and Responsibilities
  -> Act, is known to some as the "Parents Know Best" bill, according to
  -> the paper.  The legislation states that "governments should
  -> not interfere in the decisions and actions of parents without
  -> compelling justification."  Supporters of the bill say it would
  -> bolster the arguments of parents who "object to government
  -> regulations in schools and social services," writes the paper.
  -> But detractors charge that the bill would force educators to
  -> attempt to please every parent all the time.
  ->    Michael Simpson, legal counsel for the National Education
  -> Association, said the bill would cause schools to provide a
  -> "designer curriculum" for each child.
As it should be.  "Cookie cutter" education practices serve everyone but
the student.
Officials from the
  -> National Parent-Teacher Association also have testified against the
  -> bill.  "This will cause a litigious morass and it will take money
  -> from school funding," said Arnold Fege, director of
  -> government relations for the National PTA.
  ->    Dr. Ora Lee Watson, executive for magnet curriculum
  -> development in the Dallas school district, said she agrees with
  -> increased parental involvement, but within certain parameters.
  -> "We have not established any parameters for involvement," she
  -> said.  According to Watson, "giving parents responsibility for
  -> schoolwide decisions without specifying who is accountable can be
  -> dangerous," writes the paper.  Few think they can manage IBM, but
  -> "Everyone thinks they can teach or run a public school," she
  -> said.
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. One could
argue that giving educators responsibility for schoolwide decisions
without specifying who is accountable can be dangerous, especially for
the end product - the student and his/her education.  We delude
ourselves if we think "accountablility" is wrapped up in "if you don't
like the school board, vote them out."  Accountability should carry
standard management practices, like IBM - you don't produce, you're
gone, and a producer takes your place.
  ->    Dr. Joyce Epstein, a researcher at Johns Hopkins U's Center
  on Families, Communities, Schools and Children's Learning, favors
  school-community partnerships that "channel involvement into specific
  goals for the school," reports the paper.  She claims schools have
  been burdened by parents with single-issue agendas who influence
  key decisions.
When "experts" like Epstein seek disenfranchise parents, viewing them as
a "burden", what does that tell you about her agenda?  What kind of
advocate is she for families, communities, schools and children's
learning?
--> However, Chris Clicka, legal counsel with the Home School Legal
Defense Association, said parents alone should determine what influences
their child is exposed to. "Parents have been second-class citizens," he
said.  Clicka helped draft the parent responsibility legislation now
before Congress, reports the paper.
Hear, hear.
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 þ OLX 2.1 TD þ ----  david.kocher@unpcbbs.cts.com     San Diego, CA ----
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