Parents Matter

Part of a panel on improving schools with the Rev. Al Sharpton and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Arne Duncan has been touring the country in an effort to look at school reform through non-partisan eyes. And on NBC's Meet the Press last night, he reported, "Parents matter tremendously. Parents are always going to be our students' first teachers, and they're always going to be our students' most important teachers." Referencing the way President Obama established expectations with his daughter Malia, David Gregory asked how we can change the way lower-income students imagine their futures — raising expectations from within. Sharpton, Gingrich, and Duncan agreed: parents make all the difference.

If you've only got time for a bit, start about 23 minutes in!

Obama Uses Malia’s Test Scores as a Teachable Moment

Campaigning for the renovation of the "No Child Left Behind Law" yesterday, President Obama shared a rare, candid story about how he's raising his daughters to love learning and achieve their best:

These aren't my prepared remarks but I think it's important to note... Malia and Sasha are just wonderful kids and Michelle is a wonderful mother but in our own household, with all the privileges and opportunities that we have, there are times when kids slack off. There are times when they'd rather be watching tv or playing a computer game than hitting the books. And part of our job as parents, Michelle's and my job, is not to just tell our kids what to do but to start instilling in them a sense that they want to do it for themselves.

So... Malia came home, the other day, she had gotten a 73% on her science test. Now, she's a sixth-grader. Now, there was a time a couple years ago when she came home with an 80-something and she said, "I did pretty well." And I said, "No, no, no... Our goal is 90% and up." [applause]

Here's the interesting thing! She started internalizing that, so she came [home] — she was depressed. Got a 73%. And I said, "Well, what happened?"

"Well, you know, the teacher... The study guide didn't match up with what was on the test and..."

"So, so what's your idea here?"

"Well, you know, I'm going to start... I've got to read the whole chapter. I'm going to change how I study, how I approach it."

So she came home yesterday... She was... Got a 95! So she was high-fiving. [applause]

But here's the point! She said, "I just like having knowledge." That's what she said! And what was happening was she had started wanting it more than us. Now, once you get to that point — our kids are on our way.

But the only way they get to that point is if we're helping them get to that point. So it's going to take that kind of effort from parents to set a high bar in the household. Don't just expect teachers to set a high bar. You've got to set a high bar in the household — all across America.

We couldn't have said it better ourselves, Mr. President! But what about you? Have you taken the pledge to support your child's education this year?

Photo credit: Obama-Biden Transition Project

What Is the Solution To the High School Dropout Crisis?

Originally posted at the National Journal's Education Experts blog, in response to the provocation: President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan often talk about the serious problem of high school "dropout factories" that graduate 60 percent or fewer of their students. But there is no broad consensus on how to address the issue. One solution, proposed by a Texas education official, is for states to voluntarily ban the hiring of high school dropouts as a way of keeping kids in school. What do you think is the best way to solve the high school dropout crisis?

Trying to reduce the rate of high school dropouts without directly and actively engaging parents is like trying to fix a leaky roof without plugging up the holes. You can put out lots of buckets, nail up some plastic, but every time it rains the water is going to gush right through. No matter how much we reform curriculum or improve teacher training, if parents aren’t voraciously leading the charge against dropping out, kids are going to continue to view leaving high school as a rational and easy option.

I say kids because we are talking about kids — the path to dropping out of high school starts in early elementary school. And as Pedro Noguera noted so well, much of the problems and the solutions lie beyond school walls. Parents are at the heart of students’ formation of goals, expectations, motivation and sense of accountability.

A recent study, led by Civic Enterprises and funded by the Gates Foundation, conducted focus groups and surveyed hundreds of dropouts across the country. What did they have to say? For almost half of respondents, parents or guardians had not been involved in their schooling; most of those that were involved only became so toward the end of their child’s high school career for disciplinary reasons. The majority of parents were not aware of their child’s chronic truancy; less than half said that their parents were contacted by the school if they were absent. One of the top five reasons dropouts gave for leaving was that they had “too much freedom and not enough rules;” another top reason was that they’d missed too many days. Over two thirds of respondents said that they didn’t “feel motivated or inspired to work hard.”

What should be done? Ask the dropouts, themselves. Seven in ten said that more parental involvement would have made a difference.

We need outreach and education such that all parents — poor parents, working parents, parents who don’t speak English — are empowered to guide their children’s education. Parents need easy access to good information, enabling them to answer basic questions: Is my child on-track with academic requirements? If not, where is he/she struggling and what resources are available to get up to grade-level? What does my child have for homework? Is my child frequently late to or missing school? Beyond this, parents need support in cultivating the high expectations, goals and college/career planning that can sustain their children through the high school years.

Many policymakers and funders shy away from the realm of parenting, perhaps because it seems too difficult to influence. But we shouldn’t give up. Even a modest increase in effective parent involvement could have as much impact as major school reforms.

Parents a Silver Lining for Schools as Great Recession Persists

Originally posted at The Huffington Post.

In the midst of the worst recession in 70 years, everyone is worried about school quality. Schools across the nation are facing devastating cutbacks, threatening everything from teacher's aides to enrichment programs to classroom supplies.

Is there any good news? A new GreatSchools/Harris Interactive national study suggests that there can be — in the form of increased parent involvement. Nearly two in three parents, 64%, believe that, because of the recession, it is more important for them to volunteer at school now than before. The majority of parents, 53%, plan to volunteer at their children's school this year, up from 44% last year — a 20% increase. The trend is most pronounced among African American parents, 60% of whom plan to volunteer, a nearly threefold increase from the 23% who say they volunteered last year.

Six months ago when addressing a joint session of Congress President Obama encouraged Americans to volunteer in their communities and declared that "responsibility for our children's education must begin at home." Parents, it appears, want to answer the president's call to action.

But they face barriers. When asked about the main challenges they face to being more involved in their children's education, about half of parents, 49%, cited the lack of opportunities offered by schools or teachers.

Now, more than ever, both parents and schools need to reinvent parent involvement, removing barriers and creating opportunities to tap into the power of parents. Schools need to reach out in multiple ways, yes with traditional back-to-school nights and parent-teacher conferences — offered at times to accommodate working parents — but they also need to take advantage of new ways to connect. With Broadband adoption at ever-increasing levels, schools should offer long and varied parent involvement menus on their websites from which parents can choose volunteer opportunities both in-school and at-home (prepping for classroom projects, doing community outreach, etc.). Schools should survey parent skills and passions and create opportunities to tap into them. Easily-accessible and clear learning standards and assessment information are more vital than ever to empower parents as partners in their children's learning.

So much is in parents' hands: setting high expectations, building character traits for success, starting early with college and career planning. Instead of feeling bound by school-created opportunities, parents can do their part by recognizing their role as the drivers of their children's education. From specific actions such as reading at home and helping with homework to maintaining a general sense of accountability and expectations for achievement, parents hold the keys to their children's success.

The majority of parents want to share their time, expertise and resources to support their children's education. Now we need to work together to make it happen.

The Power of Dads

Last month I wrote a piece about the power of moms on our children’s educational development in commemoration of Mother’s Day.

This Sunday is Father’s Day so now I'd like to pay tribute to our nation’s dads — and highlight the important role of fatherhood. Fathers model the behavior, values and character traits that prepare their children for success in school, work and life.

In that spirit President Obama, who models fatherhood by balancing the role of Commander-in-Chief and Dad-of-Two with great agility, is using his first Father’s Day in office to reflect on what being a father means to him. In a letter to Parade Magazine, President Obama calls on dads everywhere to ‘step up’:

On this Father’s Day, I am recommitting myself to that work, to those duties that all parents share: to build a foundation for our children’s dreams, to give them the love and support they need to fulfill them, and to stick with them the whole way through, no matter what doubts we may feel or difficulties we may face.

So this Sunday, we hope you take the time to thank your father — and fathers everywhere — for their hard work. And fathers, let’s all recommit to being more involved parents. For me, this means putting down the laptop and spending more time with my daughter.

How are you celebrating Father’s Day? How did your father prepare you for school, work and life?

The Power of Moms

It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday and we are celebrating the vital role that mothers play in their kids’ lives.

Moms guide the development of their kids’ character – the importance of playing well with others, sharing and self-discipline. They also model the behaviors that lead to academic success, such as making reading an every day habit, moderating the amount of TV and videogame screen time, and keeping plugged in with what’s happening in school. All of this helps prepare kids to succeed in school, work and life.

So while you may have found it difficult — OK, annoying — when she insisted that you eat your vegetables and clean up your room, remember the important role your mother played in how you’ve turned out today.

We hope that you take the time with us this weekend to thank your mom — and moms everywhere — for the hard work they do. How are you celebrating Mother’s Day? We’re interested in your stories.

PS: Here’s a fun video sent to us from our friends at Common Sense Media — originally developed by momsrising.org. Enjoy... and don’t forget to call your mom on Sunday!

No Child Left Inside

I was raised during the Jurassic Period, at a time when parents didn't pack cell phones, children didn't wear crash helmets and a boy tumbling out of a neighbor's old oak tree didn't result in a lawsuit.

We were Free Range Kids, I'm now told, although we didn't realize it at the time. We scrambled around our neighborhood every afternoon after school, dirty as muskrats, and received vague instructions from our parents to 'finish your chores' and 'be home for dinner.'

This week we celebrate Earth Day, a perfect time to remind the little people that it's important to log off, disconnect and go outside. This eminently lovable planet is a very cool place, capable of inspiring endless excitement. Kids need time to wander around outside among the grass and hedges and trees so they can invent their own games and worlds. It's OK to get muddy or fall in a creek or romp through the woods or build a fort of tree branches — just as long as you don't tromp that dirt inside. That kind of free-range thinking and inventing is a valuable brain game for kids. We also know that a lack of connection to the natural world — termed Nature Deficit Disorder by researcher Richard Louv — can result in depression, anxiety and obesity among children.

Don't get me wrong: safety matters. Bike helmets and car seats have saved lives — there’s no question. And there are dangerous people in this world, whom kids must avoid (or battle, should it come to that). But a scraped knee is not a three-alarm fire. Kids are resilient; they bounce back, physically and emotionally.

Most of us grew up as Free Range Kids and, miraculously, thrived. I was reminded of this the other day when my 10-year-old son climbed a small tree in a park across from his school. He was about eight feet up, straddling a branch with his legs dangling. “Is this what you did when you were a kid, dad?” he asked. I nodded. “Cooooool,” he said.

Happy Earth Day, indeed.

How do we encourage our children to be Free Range Kids? Send us your thoughts.

Teaching Resilience in a Collapsed Economy

At GreatSchools, we believe in the power of involved parents to help their kids graduate from high school with the skills necessary to succeed in college, work and life. With a collapsed economy, this type of involvement has become even more difficult (and yet, more important) for many of America's families.

Even so, I am inspired by the stories captured in a New York Times article a few days ago on the 12 students who triumphed over long odds to be named New York Times' Scholars. The article captures the central premise well in stating:

"Their stories are diverse, but almost all share a common thread: a parent at home who stressed to the students from an early age that education was the best way out of tough circumstances."

At its core, these stories are about resilience. They are proof positive that resilience can be taught and learned; and, they disprove the notion (as the American Psychology Association has shown) that resilience is either something you have or don't have.

Have you seen any examples of parents teaching their kids how to overcome challenges? I'm interested in hearing your stories.

Obama’s Call for Parent Involvement

Since President Barack Obama assumed office two months ago, he's put forth an ambitious political agenda. High on his list: Improving education and urging parents to do their part.

As the president told a joint session of Congress last month, "There is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent-teacher conferences or help with the homework or turn off the TV, put away the video games, read to their child. Responsibility for our children's education must begin at home."

This is a vital message — one that is at the core of the GreatSchools mission — and we're proud to be spreading it. Today we're telling the more than 1 million parents who subscribe to our newsletters about where the $115 billion in stimulus funding for education will go, how to read with their child and the top 10 things they can do now to heed the president's call of parent involvement. Here are some of the articles we're highlighting for our readers:

• Stimulus Bill Offers Schools Much-Needed Relief
• How to Read With Your Child
• Manage Your Child's Screen Time
• What Makes a Great Parent?

I'm interested in hearing from you. What do you think of the education allocations in the stimulus package? How should parents step up their involvement in their child's education?

A New Frontier for GreatSchools

Since our founding 10 years ago, we have been helping parents make good choices about their children's education. Today, about one in three American parents turns to GreatSchools in a given year to help them decide where to send their children to school and track the performance of their children's schools.

Today, we're announcing that we have received funding to undertake a major new initiative designed to help low- and middle-income families guide their children to graduate from high school ready for college.

More than a year ago, we began to consider: What more could we at GreatSchools do to improve education? How could we do more for our large audience of parents? And what could we do for low-income parents whose children face the steepest climb to college?

Our answer: We should leverage the technology of our times to create a comprehensive parent-training program and support group that inspires and guides parents — especially low-income parents — to raise children who are ready for college.

Funded generously by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robertson Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation, this new initiative will do just that. Stay tuned!