Rise of the Parentariat
By Irving H. Buchen
Although education, like the economy, is cyclical, that does not, alas, mean that it is knowable, rational, or manageable. Thus, the last decade of the 20th century was characterized by almost-heady curricula expansion. But that was followed unexpectedly by the constraints of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Does any relationship exist between the two trends except that of supplanting? And will that federal dominance remain beyond the next election? Above all, what is next? The impacts of change on education so far have been so pervasive and invasive that anticipating and even speculating about the future has become a strategic imperative. Toward that end, what is being argued here is the emergence of parents as the newest and perhaps the most major pivotal players of education in the future.
The signs of that happening are obvious and subtle, individual and collective, many and deep. What’s more, parents embody multiple impacts: They can make the difference in their kids’ performance. They are local taxpayers and can make or break school budgets. And their national vote can determine whether the “No Child” law remains or folds. But although they may be valued as strategic partners and allies, parents are not easy followers. They resemble independent voters in that they are not obediently or predictably in any one camp. Indeed, as an emerging force, the absence of a single ideology imparts an eclectic diversity to the movement. But at least five common factors seem to be driving the rise of the parentariat and its new centrality.
Demographically, they are the best-educated generation of parents we have ever had. As a correlation, they are also the most independent. In a recent survey in Ohio, the approval rate of schools went from 65 percent to 85 percent when parental involvement was factored in. In other words, parental support has become conditional. Their acceptance or rejection of the No Child Left Behind law will not be determined by teachers or administrators, but by whether it helps and benefits their kids or does not. In fact, many parents are already up in arms with districts that have failed to notify and provide the No Child Left Behind-mandated tutoring.
They are also becoming the most “communicated to” generation of parents. The requirement for the official dissemination of district report cards pales beside the electronic links increasingly being wired in place between schools and parents, often personalized and sustained individually by each teacher and parent. The comprehensive information-sharing has imparted new force to homework completion and attendance. Hard pressed for mutually convenient times to meet and talk, teachers and parents even have held electronic parent-teacher conferences, often supplemented by the phone, sometimes simultaneously. Lately, many of the linkage companies are providing research-based information and/or hot links for ways parents can guide children to school success. In short, current parents are much more school-savvy than their own parents ever were.
And research on the value of parental involvement is no longer tentative or hidden. It has established a direct correlation with the higher performance of individual students, classes, schools, and even districts. Highly interventionist programs, such as the homework project at Johns Hopkins University, in which parents are trained to be homework facilitators, have produced outstanding gains. And none of this research is unheeded. Parents know how important they are.
Perhaps the most dramatic new factor driving greater parental involvement has been school choice, including for many the radical decision to undertake home schooling. Never before have so many parents been forced, sometimes reluctantly, to occupy the educational driver’s seat. The range of options is often as bewildering as it is heady: magnet, specialty, charter, and, where vouchers exist, private and parochial schools. Moreover, choices are not made “once and for all time,” but often involve multiple branchpoints. The net result is that traditional college planning by parents now has become total K-16 planning. There are signs that some enlightened school districts in fact are offering parents planning assistance in the form of academic road maps.
Finally, the new centrality of parents is beginning to leave its mark on school reform. An excellent summary of parents’ serving not only as the objects but also the agents of reform can be found in the books of California State University-Hayward professor Linda Lambert on leadership sharing. The critical issue here is whether administrators will recognize and seize parental partnerships as one of the most critical leadership options available to them and to their schools.
Although the intense impact of the commercial products and services on families also can be cited, what is perhaps clear by now is that parents are already a force to be reckoned with in every educational area. Happily, however, they are potentially educational allies, not enemies, but only as long as educators give them their legitimate due and input, on the one hand, and parents in turn can be persuaded to be advocates of all, not just their own kids, on the other hand. The latter is where the role of negotiating leadership is required, if the new centrality of parents is to bear fruit for the future of education and their kids.
Young Women's Weekend 2004
Come join us for an incredible learning experience. Discover more about relationships, self-empowerment, friendships, body image, trust, and much more.
A weekend for young women 13 to 18 years of age
Cost: $120 meals included
*Scholarships and opportunities to earn tuition available*
Location: YMCA Point Bonita Camp - located at Bldg. 981, Fort Barry Sausalito, CA
Date: Friday November 12th, 2004 through Sunday November 14th, 2004
Time: Arrive at 6pm November 12th; Depart at 12:30pm Sunday November 14th, 2004
For further information about the YWW, to make a donation or to sponsor a young woman contact Bo Janowski at 831-438-7592 or Michelle Smith at 650-726-9404 - email youngwomensweekend@yahoo.com. If you would like to volunteer contact Pamela Pawelchak at 650-991-1818.
Visit our web site for more information and to download forms online.
Youth HIV Prevention Symposium
Bay Area HIV Prevention Providers holding its second annual symposium on the special needs of youth. Service providers and youth are welcome.
A symposium on Transgender Youth Issues, Rapid HIV-Testing and Internet Sex will take place on Friday, November 5th, 2004, from 9:00am until 5:00pm, and hosted by the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center located at 1800 Market Street, San Francisco. Doors are open to service providers as well as youth. Space will be limited to the first 150 guests completing registration. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. This is a free event to the community.
The primary purpose of the symposium will be to build community capacity within the Bay Area to deal with special issues placing youth at risk for acquiring HIV. Goals for the event include: encouraging social networking between youth service providers, forming linkages & referrals between youth agencies, developing cultural competencies for dealing with specific youth populations, and identifying new areas for service efforts while also reducing programming duplication.
This event is a community collaboration of local agencies including Larkin Street Youth Services, Shanti, San Francisco LGBT Community Center, Stop AIDS, San Francisco Department of Public Health, UCSF Connect to Protect Project & Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Downtown Youth Clinic, Youth Gender Project and many youth interns from agencies throughout the Bay Area. Agencies attending are encouraged to bring materials to share with other attendees. Dazier Grego, peer advocate at Larkin Street Youth Services, will be the keynote speaker along with other respected presenters.
Topics for this symposium are as follows:
• Transgender Youth Issues – Building Provider Competence
• Rapid HIV Testing – How are Youth Responding
• Internet Sex – Negotiating Risk and Outreach
All attendees must register online. Space is limited.
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Wellness Center
Christy Parsons (Wellness Coordinator) is available daily.
Ian Enriquez (Youth Outreach Coordinator) is available daily.
Sheening Lin (psychologist) is available daily.
Monica Murphy (Nurse, Tobacco Intervention Coordinator) is available on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.
Emi Koga (Japanese speaking counselor) is available from Tuesday to Thursday.
David Thompson (psychologist) is available Mondays.
Kory Okun (relationship counselor) is available Tuesdays.
James Guay (therapist) is available Wednesdays.
Sonia Sztejnklaper (Russian speaking social worker) is unscheduled.
Rebecca Peng (Mandarin speaking counselor) is available Tuesdays and Fridays.
Reconnecting Youth classes held 7th period.
Chris Pepper (peer resources) is available daily and teaches classes during 4th and 5th period.
Young Women's Weekend Testimonials
“This weekend I learned to believe. Love, respect, care for and appreciate myself because if I wont’ no one else will and most importantly because I am worth it. I learned having relationships with others is important because we can learn, support, and encourage each other. I learned that if I open up and really try I can forget and let go of the bad past relationship with my mother and start a new.” - Karla age 17
“I learned that nobody is alone when it comes to a number of things, whether it be relationships with Dad or attitude or self-image. It’s very important for girls to realize this. It may be the thing that prevents them from suicide or sleeping with that drunk guy they just met. I hope to see this “support” better everybody’s relationships. For myself, I love the feeling of not being alone; I can’t imagine anybody that would actually choose to be alone. After all, everything in life is a choice.” – Stacie age 16
“I learned to believe in friends, self body image is not all what the media says, how to have a great relationship with guys, my mom, and friends, how to handles self-esteem and to trust other young woman. This was a great experience and I will keep coming back.” – Jessica age 12
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