Schools Seek to Channel Parent Involvement

Schools flush with students' parents showing up and helping out have long been the envy of those where classrooms echo on back-to-school night. But in recent years, incidents reported in the news media have dabbed shadows on that glowing picture of parent involvement, raising issues about whether demanding adults have made teachers' jobs harder and compromised learning. In some cases, that's true, educators acknowledge. Important cultural shifts that call not only for greater civility but also new understandings between educators and high-powered parents may be occurring. But an equally important point is that districts and teachers with a wealth of parent power available wouldn't have it any other way. Indeed, many are working on approaches that encourage parent participation. And educators are also devising means of ensuring that parents' contributions to school life are productive, while reining in negative behavior.