A little over a year ago, the Florida legislature floated an idea which would have required elementary school teachers to grade parents based on their involvement in their children’s education. Now, a Louisiana legislator is floating a similar bill.
The idea of grading parents must, in some ways, be a balm to the besieged spirits of many of America’s hardworking school teachers. After all, teachers in nearly every state face new assessment systems which would essentially grade them based on their students’ performance on standardized tests. It must be nice for them to know that there are those out there who recognize that teachers cannot determine a student’s success on their own – parents play a big role, too.
There is a vast parenting spectrum when it comes to educational involvement. At one end, there are those who pride themselves on being involved in their children’s’ educations. These parents do nightly homework checks, monitor school grades, attend every parent-teacher meeting, and make sure their little ones head to school with a full stomach and a good night’s sleep. And at the other end of the spectrum, there are those parents who are notably disengaged. These parents don’t monitor homework or grades, often bring their children to school late (or not at all), are absent from parent-teacher meetings, and don’t pay attention to nutrition or sleep habits. (If you’re reading this blog, it’s probably safe to assume that you fall into the former camp, and not the latter.)
Studies have shown that parental involvement is a primary indicator of future success. Students whose parents take an active role in their education will do better – and it’s obvious to see why: These students do their homework, study for tests, and come to school prepared to learn. Because parents play such a big role in academic achievement, it seems unfair that teachers’ entire careers be determined by student achievement. After all, even the very best teacher cannot make up for parents who take no interest in their children’s schooling.
And yet, while this idea might seem acceptable (or even laudable) on its face, we have to consider the unintended consequences. What happens when an uninvolved parent gets a bad grade (or worse yet, if a dedicated parent is given an unfairly low mark)? This is hardly going to improve parent-teacher relations. And while parental involvement is certainly vital to student success, rancor between parents and teachers isn’t going to help matters.
It is true that parents need to remain involved in their children’s educations, but perhaps parental report cards aren’t the answer.
