Will Giving Parents Grades Improve Student Achievement?

There is little debate that the more actively involved and engaged parents are in their childrens' lives, the more likely the children will succeed in school and life. The state of Florida is maybe going to be the first state in the nation to start to give parents grades if it is up to Representative Kelli Starge.

A report, published by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, states that regardless of family income and background students who have parents involved in their lives are more likely to: attain higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, be promoted, pass their classes, attend school regularly; have better social skills, show improved behavior and adapt well to school; and graduate and go on to postsecondary education" (Henderson & Mapp, 2002).

So, what does this mean? Is the United States heading toward developing a system where parents receive grades for how involved they are in their child's education and how well their child does in academics? It is hard to look at the research and not feel that if students could be more successful in school with increased parent involvement, shouldn't something be done to see that it happens? Even though the findings of the report appear simple, actualizing a nationwide effort to increase parent involvement is not simple. In fact, it is complex and needs to take into consideration many different variables.

The National Network of Partnership Schools says that in order for parent involvement to thrive, there has to be a commitment from communities, families and schools to work together in a meaningful, thoughtful and committed fashion. The Network has identified 6 different kinds of parent involvement activities they believe schools can use to lead their labors. These include:

1. Provide families support with parenting and child-rearing skills.

2. Share information with families about school programs and their child's academic progress and needs.

3. Enhance recruitment, training and schedules to allow families to volunteer in school activities.

4. Support families in knowing how to be involved in learning at home.

5. Incorporate families into the school decision making process.

6. Develop a process for coordinating with businesses and agencies to provide resources and services for families, students and the community.

Representative Kelli Stargel feels parent grades should be based on these variables: 1) children being at school on time, having had eight hours of sleep and a healthy breakfast, 2) homework completed and children ready to be tested and 3) regular parent-teacher communication. Parent grades will be "satisfactory", "unsatisfactory" and "needs improvement."

This author believes, as a professional educator, that family involvement is critical for children to grow, learn and be successful in school and life. Is Representative Stargel's plan for giving parents grades a responsible and research-based approach to improve student achievement? The answer is decidedly no, it is not.

Until schools and communities put into place frameworks; such as the one developed by the National Network of Partnership Schools, giving parents grades is irresponsible. Schools have closed their classroom doors to parents for decades and until they open them back up and let families in as equal partners, they will continue to fail in engaging families as partners in the education of children.

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