by 'Rick Gray

Created on: August 12, 2010

In addressing the problem of low high-school graduation rates, there is plenty of blame to go around. There are enormous distractions in the lives of today's teens – from cell phones to on-line gaming to real-world part-time jobs. There are serious societal problems, including drugs, alcohol, and gangs. There are personal issues, including teen pregnancy and early parenthood.

But all too often, the question of whom to blame falls upon one of two groups – the schools themselves or the parents of those students who drop out.

In all honesty, the parent-vs.-school debate is a simplistic way of looking at a complex problem. It does, however, have the advantage of focusing our attention upon two important influences about which something can be done. We can't easily change the world in which our children grow up. But parents can change their behaviors, and schools can change the ways in which they operate. Thus, for all its simplicity, the parent-vs.-school debate is one worth having.

As a veteran public school teacher, it would be easy enough for me to lay the blame at the feet of the parents. And clearly, parents play a vital role. Parental support and encouragement can go a long way toward helping a struggling student to stay in school. Parents who spend time helping their children study, or who spend the resources necessary to obtain tutors, can make a huge difference.

Moreover, it's clear that parents play a decisive role in the elementary years. Parents who encourage reading, asking questions, completing homework, etc., lay a solid foundation for achievement at higher levels. Parents who help children associate high self-esteem with doing their best work in school are far more likely to watch their children collect high school diplomas.

But the drop-out problem is essentially a problem of the high school years. And, as students grow older, the schools themselves play an increasingly important role, while the role of parents declines.

Young people in their teens are learning to think for themselves. They will naturally evaluate the importance and relevance of what they are taught and measure the quality of the education they are receiving against their own developing sense of who they are.

Young people can be immature. Their sense of what is important or relevant may be misguided. Still, they do think – and they do make the decisions which lead to graduation or dropping-out. Once a student enters his teens, there is only so much a parent can

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