Do educators really want involved parents?

Joe Nathan

2.18.10 - Joe Nathan - A meeting last week reminded me: Rhetoric and reality sometimes depart when it comes to parent involvement in education. Some educators want parents to volunteer, help with their children and contribute money.

Do educators really want involved parents?

A meeting last week reminded me: Rhetoric and reality sometimes depart when it comes to parent involvement in education. Some educators want parents to volunteer, help with their children and contribute money.

But they downplay asking parents for advice. This does not apply to all educators. But it remains a problem.

Here are two sides of family involvement and then a suggestion.

Some years ago I worked at a K-12 public school. We arranged things in the beginning so that five-year-olds would have classes throughout the building.

After a month, parents of the five-year-olds complained. Moving throughout the building with older, larger students frightened many of their youngsters. Parents of kindergarten students urged that the five-year-olds have their own classroom.

Many teachers (including me) resisted.  Ultimately parents prevailed.

They were right. The five-year-olds were much more successful with their own classroom. Gradually, based on a decision by the teacher and parent, the youngest students were allowed to take one or two classes in other parts of the building.

Not every suggestion from a parent is a great idea. The same school had a very unhappy parent who insisted that his daughter should not be allowed to read books or hear suggestions that young women should have equal opportunities in education. He believed that young women should be married by 18 and that they should not aspire to go on to college.

The school felt that the young woman should make her own decision. It provided her with information from both sides. The father was angry but his daughter stayed in the school.

Family involvement came up when the Minnesota Department of Education

(MDE) wisely asked people from around the state to provide advice about how to assess the work of principals and teachers.  MDE is doing this to help inform a proposal to the U.S. Department of Education.

The discussion included whom to include on two task forces. One would help design evaluations for principals; the other would help design evaluations for teachers.

MDE wisely included successful, award-winning educators, like Milliken award winning teacher Martha Spriggs and principal Donna Grant. Some parents (including me) also attended.

Some of us urged that one or two parents be included on the task forces, along with administrators and teachers. Some educators thought this was unnecessary. One said that doctors did not ask their patients for their opinions.

But wise doctors sometimes DO ask their patients what they think.

Health Partners (formerly Group Health) periodically surveys members for their reactions, advice and suggestions.  It has made improvements based in part on patient feedback.

Wise educators do the same thing. I want to be clear. Educators have some knowledge that families do not have. Not every decision a teacher or school administrator decision can or should be reviewed with families.

But parent/family insights can be very valuable.  

MDE would be wise to include a few parents, along with a number of experienced, successful educators and researchers, on the task force that helps develop evaluation forms for principals and teachers.

Joe Nathan, a former public school teacher and school administrator, directs the Center for School Change at Macalester College.  He welcomes reactions, jnathan@macalester.edu