Regarding schools “a new day in education” is here. As stated in my April 1st article “A solution to improving public education amid the coronavirus pandemic” I discussed an innovative idea to include Parents as official team members of the school system. Now with distance learning being the main interaction between students and teachers, school systems will need to rely on parents (and other family members) to monitor students’ schoolwork, even closer than before.
Schools and families are learning that it is going to take another level of engagement to effectively support student learning, especially when much of that learning is being done from home. Long after schools return to brick and mortar buildings, many parents/guardians will continue to utilize home schooling due to the uncertainty of how students will respond to being out and about on school grounds with many other students, and adults.
And that is why I support measures such as mandatory parent engagement, with compensation for parents who actively support student learning. Something new and innovative will have to happen for schools to systemically improve public education. And why not involve another human being who has a direct interest of student achievement.
Public education has spent billions of dollars, only to discover that the achievement gap between minority, poor, second language learners, and learning challenged students has not gotten adequately better than when the war on the achievement gap began many years ago.
America wake up! It is time to try something drastically different and new. Now the coronavirus has exposed the shortcomings that schools, and parents have when they work separately instead of together in educating students.
Let us face this new challenge with open arms, and a commitment to include parents as true partners in the education of students! Stop trying to do the heavy lifting by yourself!