HOW TO REALLY GET READY FOR A NEW SCHOOL YEAR
Advice from an Expert (who also doubles as a parent of 4 young school-aged children)
By Jeanne Allen

1) Get Informed!
2) Who's in Charge?
3) Set Some Standards
4) You're Not "Just a Parent"
5) Get Involved!

The kids are heading back to school, and parents across America are asking "What Can I Do to Help My Child Succeed?"

Well, you'll hear all sorts of informative and compelling ideas and Good-Housekeeping-approved advice on easing your child's way and easing your own worries, on topics ranging from safety and peer pressure, to homework tactics and after-school activities.

But while "Back-to-School" advice is flooding in from every direction, be it K-Mart or Redbook, most of it only scratches the surface. Parents today more than ever need concrete information about school policies and programs. They need to know exactly how to get involved to make a difference. Parents are demanding more than the usual "How Do You Get Your Child to Do Homework?" advice. What they really want is a game plan for how to make their children's schools a better place to learn.

So what can you REALLY do to impact your child's education? Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking about what your role can be in shaping the educational environment of the classroom, the school, and even the community to be a paragon of educational excellence.

1) Get Informed! You can't effectively impact much-needed changes or improvements to school programs unless you understand the school's approach, its philosophy, and why (if there is a reason) educators there do what they do.

Let's say, for example, that your third-grader is struggling with his math lessons. Too many times, we automatically believe that something must be wrong with our child. But could it be that the program or approach being used is not the best for your child? Could it be that lessons you took for granted were being taught have not have been emphasized in the same manner you think necessary? Look at your child's textbooks, workbooks, worksheets, notebooks and handouts, for each class, to see just what and how subject matter is being taught.

Many schools offer back-to-school nights, and some even set-up individual parent-teacher conferences. If these are held after the school year begins, inform yourself about your child's curriculum beforehand, so that you can ask questions and get clarification at these meetings. If they're held before school opens, use them to get a good introductory overview of what the school year will cover, and follow up with a phone call or additional conference later if necessary.

Unless you know what is being taught, you can't gauge how effective the program is, i.e. if your son’s problems stem from not being appropriately challenged, or if indeed it's your son who needs to do some more work or get additional help. (For more specifics on how to better inform yourself about your child's school, on everything from curriculum to budget, see Chapter 10: Getting Informed from The School Reform Handbook.)

2) Who's in Charge? It's hard to make a suggestion or explore a concern you have unless you know who calls the shots. Obviously you always want to go to your child's teacher first if you have a concern. But have you ever thought that perhaps you need a few minutes with the teachers before Johnny gets there for third grade?

If possible, don't wait until the back-to-school activities mentioned above to begin to establish a relationship with your child's teachers; introduce yourself to your child’s future teachers the spring before, at graduation ceremonies and end-of-the-year events, so you can start getting to know each other in a positive light before school kicks into gear. Let them know what you think, any interesting or pertinent facts about your child's learning style, or impediments your child may have run into previously.

Don't neglect the principal and other administrators either. Do the teachers and administrators seem interested in what you're saying? What are their teaching experience and background, strengths, weaknesses and preferences? Find out who determines the use of textbooks and supplemental materials in the school and the district. Ask if you can help be a bridge to other parents in conveying the teacher's and school's message. The more you know about your child's educators and the school, the more of a difference you can make. (To find out more about who's calling the shots in your school, as well as at the district, state and federal levels, see Section II: Who's In Charge -- The Education Establishment from The School Reform Handbook.)

3) Set Some Standards: While you're getting informed about the specific workings of your school and district, try to establish some educational benchmarks in your mind against which to make comparisons. There are dozens of wonderful books devoted to how much of what your child should know from grade to grade - check with your library or local book store. Stay away from the warm and fuzzy stuff that skirts the academics - they'll get enough of that in school. What you want to know is whether your middle-schooler is getting the core preparation she needs to master high school algebra, English and chemistry. To that end, books like What Your First Grader Should Know (and those covering all the other grades, by E.D. Hirsch, Core Knowledge founder) are extremely useful and provide a set of very high standards that we'd all do well to use when assessing our child's education. (For more information on curriculum and standards, visit CER's Academic Standards and Curriculum Area.)

You may also want to get on the Web and search around for good resources and organizations there. (Stop first at CER's Web Links to Education Policy and Reform Organizations.) There are hundreds of education web sites that can provide advice and resources for just about any subject, pedagogical approach, or reform effort for which you need information. You can join a newsgroup devoted to making math instruction stronger, get the latest research on how children best learn to read, or review Virginia's standards (or virtually any other state’s, and how they're graded by the experts, too). (For more information on individuals and organizations working to improve standards, launch charter schools, or implement other reforms, check out CER's Education Organizations and Resources Library.)

4) You're Not "Just a Parent": Often parents check their natural instincts about their child at the door of a school. It's an intimidating process to address one's school leader. Deep down, we probably all remember (most of us anyway) those days when we were "sent down to the office" involuntarily and reluctantly. We have great respect for the people working in our schools, and above all, we don't want to offend. But as a result, that much-need heart-to-heart with the principal or teacher instead sometimes turns into a mindless love-fest. Despite the best of intentions, you find yourself leaving the meeting wishing you'd said this or questioned that, and young Sandy’s problems in English remain unresolved, even though you know it's the lack of consistency or high expectations in the program. Don't worry about upsetting the feel-good atmosphere you’ve established; get back in there and air your concerns, and don't drop the ball until all the issues have been addressed and resolved.

Too many times we think, "but I'm just a parent." Hogwash! Don't confuse your respect for education with an idea that teachers or schools are infallible or all-knowing. Some will welcome your input; others may try to ignore or demean it. Regardless, start asking the hard questions, expect a good response, and keep at it until you are satisfied. The more we try to get those hard questions asked and answered, the more our schools will work to do right by our children.

5) Get Involved! The days of passive parental involvement are over. All those Sixties' teens who sported "Question Authority" bumper stickers on their VW Bugs are mature parents now. They need to continue questioning: how schools spend their tax-payer budgets; what and how much schools teach (the consensus is, overwhelmingly, "Not enough!"); whether families have attendance choices or options within or outside of their assigned school; and more.

Today, it's commonplace for parents to join or even start a reform group, not just to beef up a school's existing programs, but to create a catalyst for fundamental change. Parents' groups in Wisconsin raised standards in their state; parents’ groups in New Jersey started new public, charter schools; parents in California pressured leaders to adopt better reading programs. The list of active, effective parent organizations and efforts is nearly endless. (Check out CER's Education Network for starters.) These parents are ordinary people, like you, who were frustrated by the slow pace of school improvement or by having their concerns put off or put down too many times. They sought out like-minded parents, educators (yes, educators) and organizations and worked hard to make a difference. (To learn more about how to get the education reform ball rolling in your community, see Chapter 11: Building Coalitions for Reform -- Laying the Groundwork from The School Reform Handbook.)

Today, more children than ever before have choices in and around their traditional public schools, and sometimes, beyond. More than 2 million children this year are attending schools their families were allowed to choose in the public school realm; and made the effort to shop for a better option rather than take a one-size-fits-all school or program mandated by some outmoded attendance zone setup. (For a rundown of where school choice, charter schools and other reforms are in place across the country, see CER's Education Reform At-A-Glance.)

As customers, parents are in the driver's seat, and schools today are working harder to please their customers. As a result, parents have become more influential in how things are done - but only when they get informed and get involved. Recognize and take advantage of how important you are in the scheme of things. Your child needs your constant watch and care to be successful.

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Jeanne Allen is president of the Washington, DC-based Center for Education Reform, a national non-profit research and advocacy group working to make all schools better for all children.

For additional information on how you can help improve your child's and your community's schools, contact The Center for Education Reform by calling (202) 822-9000, or by sending us e-mail. On our website, check out excerpts from The School Reform Handbook for more information on getting informed and involved, browse our library About Education Reform to see what's already happening in your state and across the country, or peruse our listing of Education Organizations and Resources to locate like-minded groups and individuals in your area.

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