Monday, November 8, 2010

"Parent Involvement Research Takes Flight"



I’m 30,000 feet in the air on Delta flight 6265 headed towards Detroit as I write this blog.  Across the aisle from me there is a mother calling out questions from her teenage daughter’s study guide.  So far I’ve deduced the daughter is most likely in high school and based on the advanced literary terminology she’s being quizzed on, she has a killer English exam looming on the horizon.  I’m listening to the mom posing questions to her daughter…”What is symbolism?”  “What is a protagonist and how is that different from an antagonist?”  “Can you give an example of foreshadowing?” 
Her daughter knows most of the answers; she’s obviously a good student.   But when she does get stumped, her mom reads the guide’s definition out loud and I enjoy hearing them brainstorming concrete examples.  I also get a kick out of the daughter turning the tutoring session around now and again by teaching her mom what her English teacher explained about various story elements last week during class.
As an advocate for family engagement, I want to give them a standing ovation, but think better of it.  What if there’s an air marshal on board?  (Just kidding).   But this is exciting; I’m witnessing the power of parental involvement firsthand!  I’ve never met this family, but I am confident this young lady has a bright future ahead of her.  After all, she has a mother who is sending her the following indirect but very clear messages through her act of tutoring…
·        I have high academic expectations for you.
·        I will do whatever I can to help you learn and do well in school.
·        You are valued.  I believe in you.  I am proud of you. You are worthy of my time and efforts.  I love you.
The body of research on parent involvement reveals that students whose parents are actively engaged in their children’s educations (such as this lucky girl across the aisle), enjoy many benefits. These students generally have…
·        lower drop-out rates
·        better grades
·        better scores on standardized achievement tests
·        fewer behavior problems
·        lower incidents of drug use
·        lower teen pregnancy rates, and
·        are more likely to go on to college or technical training schools.
I believe every parent wants their child to succeed.  As my colleague Sherri Wilson put it recently, “No parent wishes for their child to do drugs, drop out of school, or become a ditch digger, right?”  But parents’ desires and words concerning their children must be backed up by ACTIONS!   More parents need to follow this mother’s example.  We can’t just tell our children we care and then somehow their names magically appear on the honor roll.   It’s much tougher than that, and yet it really is incredibly simple—Parents who spend time helping their children study at home have children who are much more likely to achieve in school.  So obvious and yet so under practiced.
Just now the mom turned around to her grandfather sitting in the row behind her and boasted, “I tell you what, if she doesn’t make an ‘A’ on this test, I’m going to have to go up to that school and talk to her teacher.  She’s gettin’ it on, she really knows her stuff!”  I couldn’t agree more, the daughter does “know her stuff”.  But I’d like to add her mom knows a thing or two about good parenting.  Kudos to this mom for backing up her words with actions!  
A few minutes ago I passed my laptop across the aisle and asked if they’d like to read the blog I just wrote about them.  I learned the girl’s name is Amber, her mom is Kim, and let’s don’t forget Grandpa Warren who generously offered me his words of wisdom for this blog.  He asked me to tell you that, “Good parenting is passed on between generations.  It’s a positive cycle.”  If it weren’t for those pesky air marshals I’d bellow, “Bravo! Bravo!”