Some views on parental involvement are flawed
VIEWPOINTBy MYKESHIA FOUNTAIN and IRENE GARCIA
Opinions expressed in The Tribune and in a Nov. 23 New York Times column, describe local and national problems with education and highlight how important parents are in resolving these very serious issues. Unfortunately, however, those pieces talked about parents negatively, with Thomas Friedman's Times column describing them as "under-involved" people who create "difficult home lives" for students.
Friedman's column even suggested that we need "better parents." This inflammatory language assumes that children from low-income neighborhoods always enter school with low levels of expectation and support. The truth is every neighborhood across our nation has both responsible parents and those who are overwhelmed and less effective. We agree that the home environment matters, but it is not always