Some people want to blame parents when their children fail in school. Whether it is a column by Bill Cosby in the Detroit News (6-13-04) or his speech in Los Angeles (10-28-06), an editorial in the San Diego Union Tribune (8-19-07), or other commentaries, blaming parents, alone, for their students’ academic and behavioral problems is old and easy thinking. In the same spirit, Time magazine pointed fingers at the “over-involved” parents (2-13-05). Labeled “helicopter” parents, these parents are said to “hover” and do too much to guide their children.
NNPS has learned that the “partnership approach” is better than the “blame game” for helping students succeed in school. Both uninvolved and too-involved parents become more productively involved when educators in schools and districts develop, strengthen, and sustain well-planned, goal-linked programs of school, family, and community partnerships.
When children enter school, all parents need good, on-going information about how to help students at each grade level – through high school—on homework, with peers, with plans for college and careers, and on other indicators of success in school. Solutions to school failure, behavioral problems, chronic absence, dropping out of school, and other serious problems require the attention and efforts of teachers, parents, community partners, and students.
Research shows that when schools have effective Action Teams for Partnerships and have written One-Year Action Plans for Partnerships linked to school improvement goals, more parents become involved in ways that help children succeed in school, including parents who are, typically, uninvolved. And, when district leaders for partnerships facilitate the work of elementary, middle, and high schools, more schools address NCLB requirements to involve all parents in positive ways, including schools that did not do so before (Epstein, 2007; Sheldon, 2007).
Why do speakers and writers continue to point fingers at parents? Everyone knows that parents have a major responsibility to guide their children at every grade level. What some forget is that schools have responsibilities, too, to help all parents (1) understand child and adolescent development; (2) conduct two-way communications; (3) volunteer in or out of school; (4) help at home with homework and curricular choices; (5) become involved in school decisions; and (6) access community programs and services. NNPS members will recognize the six types of involvement that help schools establish full partnership programs to involve all families.
In the “old days,” parental involvement was left up to parents. Now, we know that this was neither equitable nor productive involvement. It is not possible for every parent in America to figure out how best to be involved with their child in every subject at every grade level. It is time for schools, districts, and state departments of education to use tested research-based approaches to strengthen and sustain partnership programs that involve all families and boost the success of all students (Epstein, et al., 2002).
Evidence in Research and Practice
NNPS research reveals the merits of this new direction. Visit the NNPS website, www.partnershipschools.org and see the section on Research and Evaluation for summaries and references. And, members of NNPS are demonstrating the merits of partnership programs in diverse communities. Read their stories on the website in the section Success Stories. The only good finger-pointing is to point to exemplary programs and practices across the country.
Blaming parents, alone, is neither fair nor justified. Organizing research-based partnership programs to enable parents to support their children’s learning and development is a better strategy for promoting student success.