Parents don't need to be encouraged to become involved in their children's education, they need to stop being blocked. Schools need to provide more than 5 minutes twice a year for "parent-teacher conferences." Schools need to give more than 4 days' notice of said conferences. Schools need to open the open-government SLT meetings to the press (local press, not just the occasional NY Times reporter), parents, taxpayers and all citizens, the way school board meetings are open. Schools need to schedule those meetings at times parents might be able to attend: first thing in the morning, end of day, or evening. Schools need to provide parents with an outline of curriculum at the beginning of each year. Schools need to account to parents for every single city, state and federal mandate they fail to meet and explain why, and explain how those mandates will soon be met (library visits, gym time, recess, clean bathrooms).

In New York City, for the last decade parents have been marginalized and infantilized - they are powerless. Powerless to organize a raffle or bake sale? No. Powerless to show up for parent/teacher conferences, become classroom volunteers, volunteer to go on a school trip, or work in the cafeteria? That can be tricky, especially if the parent is the single bread winner of the household.

The carrot? An opportunity to vote and/or veto educational policy that negatively affects a child, a child's school and/or school community. We don't need any other incentive or prize...being included, given a seat at the table will do. Nor do parents want to be taught how to become involved by the very system/people that have put us where we are today - that ship has sailed. I can't think of a single parent who would reach out to the NYC DOE to learn how to become a more involved parent.

Finally, it would be instructive to expand on the term "parent." Many students in "failing" schools are often being raised by: grandparents, aunts/cousins or even siblings. Students in the upper grades can sometimes be parents themselves, live with friends or are homeless. When living situations vary to this degree, applying the typical parent involvement profile is pointless.

"Parents" are doing the best they can...holding them "accountable" will only alienate them more. Since the word "accountable" is often confused with the word "blame" it would probably be a good idea to find another word...

This is the biggest single dilemma in education today,
in my opinion. From my unscientific observations, parents
of the students who need their support and involvement the
most are crippled by their own (mostly) terrible
educational experiences. They are scared of schools,
intimidated by teachers and principals...the whole enterprise
makes them feel like failures. The reason I am engaged
and involved in my daughter's schooling is because I had
a positive school experience, that my parents, in turn, made happen. It's an example of the "Matthew Effect" (perhaps Malcolm Gladwell
coined that phrase?) From a chapter from Matthew, in
the New Testament, "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." Kids like me who got
excellent educations, and had parents who ensured that,
will pass on that positive way of looking at school to their children, and so on and so on.

As a longtime teacher I have seen good and less good parental involvement. Absence of it is not ideal and kids need to feel parents are in their cheering section. But I made sure to not actually turn up at my kids' school much because it was their job and their right to succeed or bomb there. I provided them at home with a desk and a lamp and lots of trips to the library but did not hound them about homework. I did got to all parent-teacher interviews however to hear how they were doing and to all concerts and graduations and awards ceremonies involving them.
The problem with parents who don't go to interviews is they don't seem to care. The problem with parents who forever contact the school and try to excuse the student's misbehavior as the teacher's fault is they are taking over too much. Gifted kids often have very 'high maintenance' parents, pushy to get them into programs and pushy to get them good marks, pressuring the student to study, which is good in moderation and sometimes nearly bullying the teacher to make marks higher. When I hear a call for parents to be more involved in their kids' education I am of two minds therefore about the call.

This is the perfect opportunity to change a parent's life too. Since it has been shown that parents' own unsatisfactory school experiences can lead to their withdrawal from involvement in their child's school experiences, we need to assertively offer them a second chance. Some parents simply do not know how important they are in the school achievement equation. If convinced that we need them and their child needs them and that they are exceedingly valuable to the experience, we have a shot at getting involvement. Parent to parent is sometimes way easier than teacher to parent. Get one parent knocking on other parents' doors and telling them how important they are, that we can't do it without them and it may work. Far too often we take for granted that the parents know their importance and they make a choice not to be involved even with that knowledge. For a significant number of parents, they don't really know what we take for granted--that parents are such an important part of the whole picture.

I was a NYC principal for 21 years and now find myself again a parent of a NYC child. I was on an hour conference call this morning and used the time to repair my child's class library books. This weekend we shopped for the class snack and it was on opportunity to practice math to make sure that we have enough snack for all the students. Last night we had an open school night meeting with his teacher who is wonderful and he is thriving. I live in a young community where parents have full time busy schedules and come home exhausted. I advise them to get involved in a way that benefits the family. Don't waste time going to meetings that are moslty announcements and fund raising pitches. Send a check instead. Do try to go in late on a morning to sit in class and see the routines and rituals of the class.
As a high school principal I learned that attendance at evening meetings was directly related to how useful the event was so some good topics are parent child communication,college applications, finacial aid. Regular phone contact and visits to home by teachers and counselors are critical to establishing trusting relationships. Reporting good news on the phone is reasuring to a parent of a teenager that is not quite sure of how much independence to give their child. Feeling useful and that our contribution to a community of parents and children is also important for the parent. I felt good this morning about my library books and it is an impotant lesson about particiaption for my child.
Cece Cunningham

There are so many elephants in the public education room aren't there? The issue of parent partnership is one of the biggest. We at VIVA Teachers, www.vivateachers.org spend lots of time thinking about how to engage parents in teachers' work with their students. Teachers are the first, most frequent and best ambassadors our schools have to partner with parents and guardians. Yet, too often teachers are hemmed in by process, compliance and rules that limit their professional judgment. There's no way for teachers and parents to partner under these circumstances. VIVA Teachers in Massachusetts, Chicago and across the country have all manner of workable solutions to making parents accountable partners to schools. Take a look at their ideas www.vivateachers.org. And, ask your children's teacher what he thinks.

As the daughter of a teacher (30+ years!), having been a teacher, and, now, mother of three children, I cannot agree more with Sheela and Peggy. Just last night, I was writing down a summary to present to our SSC (school site council) for school improvement. The two main words were behavior and discipline (follow-through of consequences). Show me a well-behaved child and I'll show you good grades (or the potential for good grades). The two aforementioned words start and end at home, period.
I love the idea of the "Matthew Effect" and the key IS parental intervention; everything else is too intimidating.
Let's make a difference for all children not just the ones who got lucky with their parents.

Parents have tips and plenty of educational resources at their disposal , but few are actually using them. We must account for financial problems some families have, spending time working away from and other business but there is always time for your child! Making parents part of school assignments is definitely a gateway into them being a part of their grade, but I can't say for sure. Its going to depend on how much time and attention parents are willing to sacrifice for their children.

Any parent who needs to be "encouraged" to become involved in their child's education is probably not interested in being involved. I think we just need to concentrate on making it easy for the parents who want to be involved to do just that.

Thanks, NYT and Laura Klein, for this great column! As a teacher I totally agree; why bother with the blather about parent involvement when time is better spent on the kids? This is a really important issue, bravely confronted!

Laura Klein writes sensitively about this issue; of course, we wish parents were more involved.
But I too often have the sense that the Education Establishment uses the alleged shortcomings of parents as an all-purpose alibi. ("It's not our fault; it's those do-nothing parents who cause the problems."
My impression is that school don't do enough--cognitively and intellectually--from K onward. There is too much running in place, or standing in place.
Instead, teach facts and knowledge more aggressively. Teach the Three R's more carefully. Build up a broad, solid foundation. Create a sense of momentum. Then there might be less need for alibis.
Bruce Deitrick Price
Improve-Education.org

Maybe they should hold invitation only events; or if they are going to be invitation only invite all the parents. But for some reason I don't think that was the case at this meeting.

Immigrant parents have trouble speaking fluent English and are sometimes shy or ashamed to take advantage of interpreter services. They may come from countries where teacher-parent conferences are not the norm. It would really help with increasing parent attendance if the schools reached out to individual communities and identified a trusted figure in the community, a parent or a leader who has been here longer than the others to act as a liaison between the school and the community. This person could be charged with interacting with parents and getting them to the school. For instance, in Jackson Heights, where I live, there are a lot of South Asian immigrants who are poor English speakers or are new to the US. But there are also a lot of non-profits in the area serving these populations. Why don't the schools partner with them in order to reach a greater number of parents? For the non-profits too, this partnership with the schools would be a means to increasing their profiles and influence within the communities they seek to serve.

I've been involved in my children's education since the beginning. I have an 8th grader
and two 5th graders. One of my children has an IEP. During meetings, I've been told
that I am too demanding, that I expect too much of my children, that "they'll look into
it, when I bring up a problem, etc, etc, etc. I have been involved with the PTA, I have served
in the leadership team, I attended (no more) all parent teacher conferences. I met with
the teachers and principals almost every semester. In the end, the system failed my
children. Too many people in the school afraid of getting in trouble if they identify
problems. It's become more a matter of "please don't tell anyone I told you..." and
that's only when they get enough courage to even speak. The philosophy of encouraging
parental involvement is a panacea not to call it a plain old lie.

That's not the only reason Parents don't get involved. For one not only do students bully other students, a lot of the time (especially in Texas) Teachers bully the students, and whenever the parents get involved it makes it worse for the student. I'm glad I no longer live in Texas when/if I have children when problems arise I wont hesitate to pull them out of school and home school them. Parental involvement is only one small part of the problem with the Educational system today. While I do agree parents should take more interest in their children's progress, I think it's important for schools to be reformed (especially in Texas). Also I believe that more education should be undertaken by teachers to deal with special needs children and to deal with bullying. If schools would worry less about sports and concentrate more on learning then our students would do better.

Here lies one of the most damaging actions school systems take... "Making significant decisions about schools without genuinely accepting input from parents and local communities demoralizes and discourages those who are most actively involved in our city’s schools." Families are our customers/clients and we must remove egos and treat them as such. That's one of the main reasons those who can... show their dismay by voting with their feet as opposed to standing firm and rolling up their sleeves. They don't feel valued.

Additionally, we must listen attentively and create those learning communities that will get us out of this rut both academically and financially. You never know which parent has the resources/power to resolve some of the district/school concerns that ultimately have a great Negative impact on all learners/staff.

Open the door and listen attentively. Have several "realistic" options for parents to participate and celebrate their participation in authentic ways for engagement... not to check it off the Parental Involvement List.

The more parents trust school administrators and educators, the more they will be involved. Until school administrators and educators work harder to build those genuine and trusting relationships, parent involvement AIN'T happening!

Here's a thought: You had a child, godd for you. That, however, does not make you an authority on matters of education. The people who report to the building as certified education prefessionals are the authorities. So, how about, if you are truly concerned about your child's education, you make sure to instill a respect for educators, education, and knowledge in your child, make sure they get plenty of sleep, good food, and study time at home, and undertand the basics of good behavior. Then send them to the building full of education specialists and trust them to do their job. Which, by the way, is not raising your child, feeding your child, or cleaning your child. It is EDUCATING your child. If you do your job as a parent, they will be able to do their jobs as teachers.
Or should you be allowed to advise the bus drivers, subway conductors, cafeteria personnel, custodians, store clerks, pediatricians, etc. just because they serve your child???

Taneesha,

Thank you for writing such an inspiring and advocacy-driven article. Parent involvement is key to student success. Research shows that when parents are more involved in their child's education, then the child is significantly more likely to attend and graduate high school. One third of students fail to graduate nationally and about a quarter of students in the NYC DOE miss a month of school per year. Students who lack consistent, timely presence in class do not reach their full academic potential. In fact, 35 percent of NYC DOE students never graduate.

It is not only suggested, but mandatory, that parents get more involved in the education system. It is because of parent coordinators like you that parents have the opportunity to be an integral part of their child's education. Thank you for all of the work you do, day in and day out, to ensure that parents are educated and informed. You are an inspiration and are making a difference for so many caregivers and children.

I am currently a graduate student at New York University, and formerly worked for a hospital in the Bronx as a clinic coordinator of an autism center. By nature of my work, I became very involved with parents and parent coordinators in D75. I learned how important families and parent coordinators are in the academic success of a child through this roll. When it came down to it, these parents and parent coordinators were not provided enough resources to be as effective as they could be in helping these children. I agree 100% that we need more resources for parents across all districts in the NYC DOE.

Thank you again for sharing your story and insight on parent involvement in the school system. I praise your courage and eloquence in writing this article. Please keep spreading this powerful message.

Sincerely,
Alexandra

I have to concur with Tommy above. As a teacher, I could care less about parental involvement in parent-teacher conferences- my own parents were too busy working to make it to those. Nor did they participate in bake sales, the PTA, or other fundraisers. But they did teach us respect and made sure that we showed up to school each and every day after a full night of sleep. I know that some people have difficult situations that make this difficult, but honestly, some people are just plain lazy and it's maddening to see their children doomed to fall behind because they won't put forth the effort.

Ms. Crawford is flat-out dishonest and misleading in this piece and the NY Times should know it, and should start protecting itself from being the bulletin board for these press releases from DOE types.
Ms. Crawford asks whatever happened to parent involvement, as in the days when parents would walk you to school and "hand-deliver" children to their teacher. What happened to it? DOE allows principals to ban parents from the schools.
Even in Kindergarten, there's no Open House visitation day, no transitional days or weeks where parents can accompany children with separation anxiety and ease the transition. Parents are stopped at the front door of our schools and turned away.
I would have loved to opportunity to accompany my child to the door of her classroom each day, to have learned from the beginning of the year that kids "hang" their coats by rolling them up in a ball inside their desks because the closets are stuffed with supplies purchased by parents, that they squish their 30 or so bodies onto a rug that's half taken over by backpacks. Our school wouldn't allow it.
Ms. Crawford also knows that DOE takes no leadership in anything, instead just saying, "Well you know we give broad latitude and responsibility to principals." These principals are your EMPLOYEES, you can tell them what to do. Tell them to give parents more than 5 minutes at parent-teacher conferences or they're fired. Tell them to learn about child development and help pre-K & kindegarten children feel safe and secure in their classroom. Tell them to let parents in the front door for something other than raising money for test-prep computers, and guess what? Parents will get involved. Remind them that parents are being deprived of their constitutional rights by not having a school board that has to answer to them, and instead make darned sure that the principal and faculty get a lot of "data points" to help them improve by making SLT meetings accessible to any and all parents who want to show up. That'll improve performance more than any teacher evaluation system.

I mean these people really must think we citizens and parents are stupid. Do they think that by writing a shallow puff piece like this they are putting one over on us?
We know that DOE is all about limiting parent information about curriculum, about the school day, about even their child's progress (5 minute teacher's conference every 6 months) in order to keep parents involved ALAP (as little as possible). But they think by writing this we'll say oh, they're right, I should be involved, let me buy them another laptop for test prep?
We are not stupid. (We went to school when it was about developing informed citizens, not about developing a supply of workers for Mikey Bloomberg's business-owner friends.)

The key to good parent-teacher relationships, whether we are talking about city or suburban schools, starts with support for the natural hierarchies that exist within each organization. Teachers need to respect and accept that each parent is different. Each home is different. Parents voluntarily engage with the school but are not accountable to it. Similarly, schools need to operate with a rational hierarchy, the students accountable to teachers, teachers accountable to the principal, the principal accountable to the structures above them. It is just as counterproductive for teachers to be rating parents as it is for society to be micromanaging teachers. The key area where we can improve parent-teacher relationships lies in revisiting homework as part of the educational process. There is much debate about the efficacy of homework, but little consideration of its structural problems. Once we recognize that homework constitutes a requirement made at school that supersedes parental authority and take steps to change that, we will see a great improvement in parent-teacher relationships. www.thehomeworktrap.com.

This is a great article and an even more important question. School principals throughout the City need active, energized parents; it's such a central part of a student's education, and we all have to think as creatively as possible on how to best engage parents.

We've seen some innovative examples of how to foster more parent engagement: overcoming language barriers by providing in-person translators at key school events to help parents speak with teachers, office staff, and each other; guest artists helping to drive up parental attendance at PTA meetings, art expos, and science fairs. And as parents become more involved, we've seen an increase in the positive perceptions of their children's schools as indicated on the responses on the Learning Environment Survey.

By harnessing the energy, passion, and creativity that abounds inside and outside the walls of the school, we can find ways to keep parents engaged. It makes for better students, better teachers, better classrooms, and better schools.

These numbers sounds a little suspicious. If there are 1.1 million kids in the NYC public school system and "over 1.1 million" parents attended parent-teacher conferences five years ago, that sounds like and almost 100% participation rate. Probably some kids had two parents attend their conference and some had no one show up, but I'd love some details about this figure.

To have a true parent-teacher partnership, I think there needs to be an understanding of hierarchy, that teachers are in charge of the classroom and parents are in charge of the home. This may seem simple and obvious, but these boundaries actually get muddied over the issue of homework. Homework is the one activity that traverses the boundaries between home and school, with teachers dictating behaviors to take place in the home. As long as there are no problems, most parents will offer teachers their full support and expect their children to get the work done. When there are problems, however, things can get highly conflictual and breed poor parent-teacher interactions if the teacher has the final say. I am strong advocate for parents having full authority over behaviors in the home and that means the authority to make the final decision when homework does not get done. www.thehomeworktrap.com.

You'd like to "push more information out to parents" and "train them"? I'd actually like to hold a meeting at which I train you and your colleagues. Sorry, I was trained in my Master's program. How's about you "take more information in" from parents? How about principals and parent coordinators being available via text and voice mail and in person to TAKE IN information?

As a bilingual teacher and now as a parent, I have a certain perspective on parental involvement in the schools.

As a teacher, I always make an effort to have open communication with parents and to entertain any questions they might have, but since my students' immigrant parents work from 10-16 hours a day just to pay the bills, I must inevitably place the full responsibility of the child's education on the child, teaching them to give account of themselves and their education to the class and to their parents.

I think many teachers (schools) have a hard time with some parents because they are either overly demanding (without a broader perspective of that teacher's classroom and situation) or they simply give lip-service to the teacher's requests with very little follow-up (mostly because of their job situation or even their lack of education).

Many students come to school in Pre-K not even knowing their names (probably because they were given a nickname), where they live, or their phone numbers. They don't know their parents' names. They don't know how to tie their shoes. Many have never even held a book much less had someone read to them. Many have never been taught how to say "please" or "thank you" or just common courtesies. Some of these situations involve parents who abuse drugs, alcohol, and even the family. When an educator sees this, what do you expect them to think? Add this to how the media and politicians portray teachers in society today.

As mentioned before, it seems that, because of their jobs, parents are not able to give their children the attention they need, leaving us to "parent" and teach their children even basic manners which has lead to an even more pervasive belief that it is now the teacher's job to teach them "everything", and if they don't, they should ostracized. I have had to give parents "tips" about turning off the television, taking the videogames away from students who are distracted in class, and to even let their children carry their own backpacks to class because the parents "babies" the child too much. As a teacher, I should not have to educate the child -and- the parent, but I do. And then I am criticized as an educator for what I do.

As a parent, when I see these things in schools, I make sure that my daughter does not have the same issues that my students have had. As a result, my wife and I have read to our daughter several books every night since the day she was born. My daughter has known how to hold a book and turn pages in the book since she was two. She has also known how to hold a pencil since the same age. She has been able to write her name since she was three. She knows all of her ABCs, her numbers and speaks two languages. She says "please" and "thank you" without being asked. She is not perfect and we have a long way to go. But while my job as a teacher is important to educating these children, my first responsibility is to my family and I will not pass that off on any educator and then criticize them for the decisions they make for my child.

In conclusion, I encourage parents to get involved. Parents have that right. I believe communication is the key to all of this. But, unless you have reason to believe otherwise, just as the parent is not the "enemy", so neither is the teacher.