Poor schools? Parents need to step up to the plate…

by Steven A. Melnick – You can’t help hearing that our schools are failing.  All you need do is tune into the evening news, pick up a newspaper, or listen to talk radio.  The outrage is everywhere and the blame is being placed squarely on teachers, administrators, and what is perceived to be a dysfunctional system.  When commentators like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck talk about falling test scores in some of our most troubled schools, sadly, they are not wrong.  However, every critic of the schools continues to miss a very important part of the equation–the impact of parents on a child’s education and achievement.  Let’s take a close look at the impact that parents have on failing schools.

The Baltimore Education Research Consortium (February 2011) identified four predictors at grade six of future dropouts.  The indicators include:  chronic absence (missing 20 or more days per year), failing grades, overage for grade, and suspension from school for three or more days.   While some of these indicators are improving, the “improved” numbers are still alarming.  For example, the class of 2007 had a chronic absence rate of 32.4%…nearly 1/3 of all students missed at least 20 days of school.  That rate has fallen to 18.6% for the class of 2015 but we’re talking about kids in grade 6…12 year olds.  Where exactly are they if they aren’t in school?  In other cities, some high schools report daily absentee rates of 30% or higher for students in grades 9 through 12.  Is it the teachers’ or administrators’ fault?

Is it any wonder that schools are suffering from low scores on standardized tests when up to 30% or more of the students are absent?  If you were running a factory and 30% of your raw materials were missing each day, what do you think the quality of the product would be that you produce?

Ultimately, whose fault is it that students are not attending school?

Erne Duncan, Secretary of Education, testified to Congress recently that 82% of American schools may be labeled as “failing” this year under the No Child Left Behind Act guidelines.  Of course, the spin on that is that our schools are in terrible shape.  The fact that the very system used to evaluate “failing” schools may not be accurately reflecting the reality gets lost in the media headlines.