Currents

Parents as Leaders

Volume 4 / Issue 2 / Winter 2004

One parent alone probably cannot do much to improve a school, but a group of parents working together can be a powerful instrument for change. That is the message from the Parent Leadership Association (PLA), an organization that provides publications, consulting services, training, and other resources to parent organizations, advocacy groups, local education funds, business groups, and school districts.

The PLA highlights 12 things that parents should know about and expect from their schools—and themselves.

• Your involvement matters—a lot.
• You can be involved as a teacher, supporter, advocate, or decision maker.
• Children need you. Not just your own—other children will benefit from your involvement, too.
• Schools need you. Lack of parental involvement is always a challenge, and school personnel are desperate for parents like you to become more involved.
• Parents and students should be told clearly what the learning standards are in each grade.
• You should know what the school’s behavior standards are.
• You should receive a report card clearly showing how your child’s school is doing.
• Middle and high school parents should be told what it will take for their children to get accepted to and pay for college.
• You should know your options, especially with the federal No Child Left Behind Act (see Duke Gifted Letter, Fall 2003, for how to use this law to advocate and find funds for gifted education).
• You should be able to get answers to your important questions.
• You should be treated with respect. Educators are hired to work for you and your children, and you have the right to be treated as an equal partner in their education.
• You are more likely to get what you want for your child if you work with other parents.