Columnist Sandra Thompson: Who should improve education?

Sandra Thompson is vice president/associate editor of the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at 259-4025 or through e-mail at [email protected]

Who should be on the front lines in the battle to improve education?

A. Teachers

B. Parents

One area high school teacher suggests option C -- the students themselves.

It's a matter of individual responsibility, of accountability, he says.

But who instills that in children? It has to come from their families. Teachers can only do so much.

Legislators, educators, business people and others here and across the country have been scrambling to find ways to keep kids in school. It's too early to tell whether the Clark County School District's new attendance policy will curtail dropout and truancy rates. Its goal was to put fear into students that if they missed a certain number of days, they would lose credit for in particular classes.

Critics say the policy may backfire and actually cause more students to drop out. For example, students with health problems such as asthma have frequent absences. Although they keep up with their class assignments and may have an A or B in the class, they could lose credit. There is an appeals process for such students who can show their absences are not because of truancy.

But that's not what worries the high school teacher. He sometimes has a 20 percent to 30 percent fail rate in some of his classes. And we're not talking about quantum physics classes here. Before report cards were due, he sent home notices to parents. How many called to discuss their children's failing grades? Zero. Zip. None.

One of his students shared his latest report card: F, F, D, C. One of the Fs was in physical education. Strangely, he received an E (excellent) for citizenship in his other F class.

"I knew I was doing bad, but not that bad," he said, when asked how he felt about his grades.

The teacher added that because D is passing, some students who have a C part way through the quarter will slack off and only get concerned if it slips beyond a D. Then they will start doing their assignments again.

In some classes, the teacher said, only half the students turn in their homework.

One of the problems, he says, is that students in elementary and middle schools are promoted to the next grade even though they can't do the work. Some eighth-graders, he says, are simply passed on to high school, and the teachers end up having to cram 12 years of education into four because the kids can't read.

How can we reach students who simply don't care about education, don't pay attention in class, don't do their homework and have parents who can't -- or won't -- do anything about it?

Maybe we should pass a law that every child must satisfactorily complete 12 years of education in a regular school or trade school. Under the law, no business -- fast-food factories included -- could hire permanent workers who didn't have a high school diploma.

Break the law and you're subject to fines, driver's license restrictions, etc.

Harsh? Unrealistic? Probably. After all, laws are broken every day. And you can lead a kid to a classroom, but you can't make him think.

Adequate funding, educational tools and resources, plus innovative teachers who can reach students and make learning appealing are only part of the equation for educational success. What's often missing is parental involvement, which could make the difference in a marginal student.

Too many parents are "disconnected" to their kids, the high school teacher says, adding that it's not always a matter of socioeconomic status. One of his "aimless" students who couldn't give a hoot about class is the son of a corporate executive who works 70 hours a week. Perhaps to make up for his absence, the father showers the boys with money, a new car and other amenities.

To improve education, it's time for parents to reconnect with their kids. Take an interest in what they're learning (and if they're learning). Visit the school. Ask to see homework and report cards. Talk to teachers.

Even the slightest parental involvement may make a difference in a child's future. Can we afford not to make that investment?

archive