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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Parents must not be an afterthought in plans for educational progress | Thoughts on Public Education

Parents must not be an afterthought in plans for educational progress | Thoughts on Public Education

Parents must not be an afterthought in plans for educational progress

By Gabrielle Miller

As the discussions continue about improving the U.S. public education system, I keep wondering: What about the role of parents?

There are a variety of thoughtful and interesting conversations about everything from resource allocation, to the impact of race on educational achievement, to the most effective uses of technology, to redefining education to meet the needs of the 21st century – topical and relevant discussions that never seem to include parents. Parents aren’t completely ignored, but more often than not, the role they play isn’t a substantive part of the discussion. Their involvement becomes a less than critical part of any proposed solution. I believe we can make the argument that a significant part of the solution to the educational challenges