Parents Stepping Up And In
by George Battem
The battle over public education rages on. New school reformers see the public school system as a complete failure. Some new school reformers have the best interests of the students in mind, many more new school reformers see a big cash cow ready for slaughter. The problem with new school reformers is, they cannot see or understand the problems faced in public schools. Only, when one can not see or understand the problems of public schools would one offer Charters, Waivers and Privatization as solutions for America’s education problems. A great deal of their plans for success depends on the ability to toss children out of their programs and back into the public education system. These solutions don’t solve the problems of inadequate funding, dropouts, school violence, etc. Parents, it is time to step up and to step into your school. The solution to our education problems will occur only when you demand to be a big part of the school. The power to send all these new school reforms into the trash bin of history, lies in your hands. You may be asking how can this be done? There is no one saying, I can be part of the school structure and inviting me in.
Schools will not invite parents in because they do not want you to see the huge problems they have. The bigger reason is schools don’t want the community to see they are unable to solve the problems. The transfer of blame problem in full effect. When their are no good solutions, transfer of blame for the problem occurs. When parents are invited in and they see there are no workable solutions the parents can easily assign blame to teachers and administrators. The transfer of blame to the parents becomes less forceful, even when there is plenty of blame for the problems, at the parenting level. As I said in a previous post, “ we are all to blame, while at the same time not to blame.” These transfer of blame cycles must be broken.
How do we break the transfer of blame cycle? Only success in our schools will break the cycle of transfer of blame. Many new school reformers use the transfer of blame game to divide and conquer public school advocates. Successful schools create the environment and solutions to overcome the New School Reformer Problem that is destroying public education. How do we have success in our public schools? What is the solution?
The solution is one good school discipline plan that works. My discipline plan can be used by parents as a way to step in and up to make their school successful. When the discipline problem is solved all the other problems in a school will be solved. Eight parents working my discipline plan, together with the administrators and teachers can change an out of control into a safe school in two weeks. A school can be created with no tardy problems. A school with fewer and fewer discipline problems showing up at the AP office, with each new day. A discipline program that establishes new goals and higher goals for student behavior and achievement every day, every week, and every year.