If parents are the problem.

[JeffreyS]

If parents are one of the major problems with education maybe they need some encouragement.

1 If a child is failing in school the parents should be required to attend a class on helping their child succeed. The parents should have to pay for it. We should offer such a class though each local school even if it isn't required.

2 Make the parents pay for summer school.

I hate that these things will be harder on poor parents. however investing parents time and money may help to prioritize education and behavior in their child's life.
I know parents are not the only problem but they are the biggest group involved and we should use them as the resource they should be.

[jbm32206]

I couldn't agree more, in that for 99.9% of the problems that our school systems face, is a result of the parents and their lack of being involved or caring about whether or not their child is participating (appropriately) in school.

My biggest 'beef' over the years, is that there seems to be no accountability when it comes to parents and/or their children. Instead, everyone continues to blame to schools and the school system. I'd love to know just how we're supposed to force feed education to children that don't want to learn!

I like your suggestions about forcing parents to become involved...however, the question would be, how would it be enforced? How would we get those people to attend, let alone pay for it? What consequences could there be in place to ensure it happens?

I know that the state attorney's office is supposed to go after parents of children who miss a lot of time from school...but IMO, they wait until it's too late to go after them. Although I also understand that there are more pressing issues the state attorney's office deals with.

Good ideas....but as I said, how could it be implemented, who would have authority to ensure there's compliance and who would be responsible to hand out those consequences?

[JeffreyS]

Enforcement would be an issue, but some percentage would comply. That would make your job easier and perhaps results from the initial compliance would breed more. Some people will always resist but you are not trying to have a 100% successful program just reach a tipping point where the basic attitude of the students change. I am a believer in success breeds success. One of the suggestions about summer school was my sister in laws( a teacher). The class idea is off the top of my head so perhaps it is full of holes. I always hear parental involvement is the key so lets figure out a way to make that happen. I have a two year old who I would love to see grow up in a city where education is a priority.

[jbm32206]

I feel that education is the key to success and without it, you set yourself up for failure. I also believe that most of the teachers are good at what they do, and are frustrated with the lack of support from the administration...all the way up to the superintendent. They worry more about the standardize testing than they do the overall education of the child.

The school grades, per say, just don't really show the true picture of the school or the personnel working there. It's a shame, because excellent teachers are knocking themselves out while working at a school in which the majority of parents aren't involved and the kids could care less about getting a quality education. That's what needs to be addressed...parent/child culpability.

[jbm32206]

I have a two year old who I would love to see grow up in a city where education is a priority.

Read, read, read....read to your baby every day, teach them how wonderful it is to read...with books that hold their attention....reading is the key to being successful in school. Then of course, math is the next step...make it interesting....use manipulatives to teach them various ways to add and subtract.

[second_pancake]

No one can force someone to be a parent.  If a child is failing in school, the child should fail.  I know it's hard to hear, but that's life.  It is the educational systems responsibility to teach the child the fundamentals they need in life (and they are far from doing that right now) as they pertain to math, reading, history, geography and the like.  The parents' responsibilties lie in building character and teaching morals and principles.  If the parents have none to instill in their child, then no amount of force by our education system/government is going to do it for them.

We need to have an educational plan that we use consistently, from which we do not deviate.  We report to the parents the status of their child's performance and make suggestions, but ultimately it is up to the parents as to the success of that child in life.  The problem is we don't do that now.  We feel that throwing money at our schools will some how improve education, and it just doesn't work.  The children that were taught in one-room schoolhouses, writing on slate boards with a piece of chalk, knew more than the kids coming out of our modern education systems today.  All we seem to be concerned with today is the number of extracurricular functions are child is a part of and the grades are secondary.  Sad.

[JeffreyS]

We are not talking about a failing child getting a free ride. We already force children to go to school. Offering to help parents make the most of it does not seem like a stretch. Changing attitudes is not easy but living in community where large portions of the population are indifferent to education isn't a box of chocolates. I believe most people want to do right by their child and just do not have a realistic expectation of what they can just put off onto the schools.  You can't force someone to be a good parent but maybe you can help them learn what it takes.

[jbm32206]

We need to have an educational plan that we use consistently, from which we do not deviate.  We report to the parents the status of their child's performance and make suggestions, but ultimately it is up to the parents as to the success of that child in life.  The problem is we don't do that now.

That's not correct, every student in every public school in Jacksonville gets progress reports, and parents are most certainly notified if their child is having problems. This has been in effect for quite some time, and the progress reports go home in between each report period.

It is the educational systems responsibility to teach the child the fundamentals they need in life (and they are far from doing that right now) as they pertain to math, reading, history, geography and the like.  The parents' responsibilties lie in building character and teaching morals and principles.  If the parents have none to instill in their child, then no amount of force by our education system/government is going to do it for them.

This is also not true, the schools continue to teach reading, math, writing, all of the fundamentals required, and then some. Yes, it's the responsibility of the school system to teach, but it's also the responsibility of the child to learn and the parents to put forth some effort into helping their children.

In so many cases, the schools end up being just about everything to these children, from parent to teacher, from overall caretaker to disciplinarian. Such a vast majority of these parents are failing their children, which results in these children failing at school and in life.

As educators, we give the education, even while trying to deal with extremely disruptive behaviors that take up so much time, that it's almost impossible at times to teach...yet they continue to give it their best. All this while there's kids that have no interest what so ever in being in school, let alone wanting to learn.

I know there's bad teachers out there, I've come across some in the many years I've been in the classroom; but the overall majority are good, hard working people who are giving above and beyond. The fact of the matter is, you can put the education out there, but you can't force the child to learn or want to learn.

[gatorback]

If parents are one of the major problems with education maybe they need some encouragement.

1 If a child is failing in school the parents should be required to attend a class on helping their child succeed. The parents should have to pay for it. We should offer such a class though each local school even if it isn't required.

2 Make the parents pay for summer school.

I hate that these things will be harder on poor parents. however investing parents time and money may help to prioritize education and behavior in their child's life.
I know parents are not the only problem but they are the biggest group involved and we should use them as the resource they should be.

I'm not really qualified to speak on the current state of public education since my last personal experience with public education is at least over a decade ago and I have no children in public education; however, I do feel that holding parents accountable for their child’s activity in school is a definite plus.  I enjoyed reading about that one lady whose kid just kept causing problems ending in a supina to appear in court for the mom.  Perhaps the only way to get education right in the public domain is to treat students like cars in downtown Jacksonville.  If they don't get out on time, then they pay extra.