by AmericanBoy

Created on: December 31, 2008

Does encouraging parents to play a more active role in their children's education take school boards and teachers off the hook?

In approaching the hot-button topic of teacher responsibility and parental involvement in education, it is fair to state that there are few greater responsibilities or higher callings than that of being a parent or a teacher. I would be hard-pressed to find a large number of people who would suggest that parental involvement in education is unimportant. Still, it is not uncommon to find parents struggling to maintain a healthy balance between work and family. All too often, we see empty chairs at parent-teacher conferences, or we find that notes home go unread and phone calls go unreturned. We realize that most parents care deeply about their child's education. The challenge is that as parents, we're often overextended.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are countless educators who also feel overwhelmed and helpless. Faced with the challenges of under-funded schools, unruly students, and limited support there are some teachers who fight everyday to provide students with a quality education. Every day is a struggle to do the right thing. Every class presents a new set of challenges. Many teachers learn "on the job", as our universities and colleges do not adequately prepare us for the multiple challenges presented in the classroom. In some unfortunate cases, this has led to apathy, defeatism, and even anger.

As both an educator and a parent, I would strongly suggest that the only way that we can move towards addressing some of the challenges surrounding our educational system is by re-engaging parents, family and educators in the process. We need all hands on deck. The educating of a child was never intended to fall solely on the shoulders of school boards and educators, or exclusively with parents. This is underscored in the fact that the earliest public schools were formed with the same basic goals of the family unit.

The earliest public schools, known as Common Schools, were created with the goal of forming good citizens, curbing crime and anti-social behavior, and addressing poverty. These shared goals were built into the fabric of society as a whole, and are still embraced today as a primary responsibility in parenting. In other words, the educating of our children has always been considered a realistic expectation for parents and guardians, not simply teachers. Still, placing the proper emphasis on parental involvement should

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