Parent portals: helping or hovering?
Families love convenience of technology, but some wonder if it goes too far
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| Katie Anderson checks the grades of her son Michael (in desk photo) by logging onto Oceanside Unified School District's parent portal. |
SAN DIEGO — Parents who want to keep an eye on their children’s grades may also want to keep an ear tuned to their smartphones in the near future.
Online grading networks, called “parent portals,” that allow parents to check on homework, attendance and test scores are expanding in some school districts to include apps that will ping if a student’s grade drops.
The portals have been embraced in the last several years by districts across the country as a way to boost student performance by increasing parental oversight. But their growing reach has also sparked debate about how much monitoring is too much.
The phone app will be introduced next month as part of the Oceanside Unified School District’s parent portal.
“I think it’s invaluable,” said Katie Anderson, who has a 5th grader at Ivy Ranch Elementary and a 7th grader at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Oceanside.
Anderson’s enthusiasm is shared by many parents who have welcomed the portals over the past few years as a convenient, timely and unprecedented way of keeping track of their children’s schoolwork.
Detractors, however, question if the technology breeds “helicopter parents” who obsessively hover over their children, especially when it comes to academic performance. Critics say portals can stress out moms and dads and make children irresponsible and dependent on their parents to keep track of their assignments.
Colleen Hervey, a mother of five, is an enthusiastic supporter of the parent portal implemented several years ago by the Vista Unified School District. Originally, parents had to login to the site to view student information, but last year the district added a feature in which parents can receive weekly email alerts listing a child’s latest grades.
“Communications with teachers before was just emails or phone calls,” said Hervey, who receives the weekly alerts for her two children at Rancho Buena Vista High. “… It’s a lot easier for you to stay involved with your children’s education experience.”
The portals also have caught on with parents at Poway Unified.
“It’s the only time I’ve ever had parents call me and thank me for Parent portals allow families to check up on their children's schoolwork, but some people worry they may be overused by obsessive parents. | UTSanDiego.com: