Columnist Sandra Thompson: Making our children our biggest business

THE greatest inventions often begin with the simplest of concepts.

So does success.

One example is the "Partnership for Family Involvement in Education," the brainchild of Secretary of Education Richard Riley. Its premise is simple: Improve a child's start in life by getting involved in education and encourage family-friendly business practices.

Riley spoke about his initiative to community, business and education leaders at a breakfast hosted by the Sun last week. He urged businesses to become partners with schools and to encourage their employees to become more involved in their children's education.

It's a win-win situation, an investment in the future -- our children.

According to Riley, research shows that the greater the family and adult involvement in children's education, the more likely they are to succeed. Parents and other adult volunteers who give children individual attention in the classroom can make a huge difference in how a child approaches learning and whether he will continue his education.

Riley believes businesses play a key role in improving education. That can range from forming partnerships with schools and setting up intern programs to implementing a policy of encouraging employees to get involved in education.

Las Vegas has more than 600 school-community partnerships, thanks to the dedicated directors and staffs of the School-Community Partnership Program and School-to-Work Program, as well as area businesses committed to making this a better place to live.

Riley's initiative would build on those partnerships.

Any company, regardless of its size, can participate. It doesn't require a huge monetary investment, yet the returns can be huge.

One of the greatest needs in this community is more parental involvement in the schools. Businesses can encourage this by giving employees time off to attend parent-teacher conferences, school activities or for volunteering. Make it part of a company benefits package.

One local company that instituted such a policy found that it actually increased productivity.

But the time off should not just be offered to parents. Employees without dependent children can help in the schools by reading to classes or giving students individual attention or tutoring.

Some local companies reimburse their employees for taking literacy or English-as-a-second-language classes, college courses, getting their high school-equivalent diploma, and other training.

Such efforts make for a better work force and, inevitably, a better community.

Through their employers, parents can be encouraged to read to their children, to supervise their homework and to regularly communicate with their children's teachers.

It sounds so simple, yet a vast number of parents don't do any of these things. According to a 1993 report, "The National Study of the Changing Workforce," only 52 percent of employed parents of children 5 to 18 years old regularly attend school activities and events; only 36 percent help their children with homework daily; and only 31 percent meet with their children's teachers' to discuss school progress on a frequent basis.

Riley wants to change that. And if we are to succeed as a community, we should want to change that, too.

The family-school partnership is a logical place to start.

Businesses are asked to sign a pledge to commit to family-friendly practices. Copies are available by writing to the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, 600 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-8173, or by faxing a request to (202) 205-9133. This entitles businesses to receive information on new initiatives and updates from the Department of Education.

Riley, who is known for his successful efforts to improve the education system in South Carolina while he was governor, is committed to ensuring a quality education for every child. That, in turn, will improve not only a community's quality of life, but its economy.

"Education is the engine that drives our economy," Riley said in a 1997 State of American Education address.

Local businesses can rev up that engine by committing to family-friendly practices and partnering with schools.

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