How Big Urban District Can Succeed: The Fourth and Final Part
Here's the fourth and final leg of the installment on how big urban districts can succeed. If you want to read more about this subject, go to our Points section this weekend. Some of what I have been writing here, plus viewpoints from some teachers, will be featured there on Sunday.
Big districts need buy-in from parents.
This is important first from the perspective of students. If their parents are not engaged with them academically, there is a great chance that they will end up doing only so-so in school. Education researchers like Heather Weiss of Harvard University note that engaged parents are a leading indicator of whether a child will succeed academically. And getting parents involved is a pretty inexpensive way to turn around schools.
Attending PTA meetings, serving on school committees and showing up for parent/teacher conferences is