Education Advisory

Promise of Parent Involvement in the 70’s

As I continue to paint the picture of public school parents in the 70’s you might begin to see why some of us were so frustrated and felt betrayed by an unfeeling system which denied meaningful parent involvement (not fund-raising). We wanted the best for our children but were treated as nuisances and troublemakers.

People in general believed that publicly elected school trustees were the representatives of parents but we continually heard them say:

“We are the voice of the community. Parents are only one constituency we have to deal with.”

“If you want us to listen to your group of parents, put on a dinner for us, like the teacher unions do.”

“I actually see our role as protecting the system from parents.”

But we also saw that some trustees were teachers or ex-teachers or union representatives or ex-union representatives. Wasn’t this conflict of interest?

Meanwhile, a few people did understand our cause. Even a few educators felt that to exclude parents was to interfere with the best interests of children. We heard about the Coleman report which stressed the need for parent involvement. One important point James Coleman made was that efficacious parents produced efficacious children, inferring that making parents feel inadequate reduced their feelings of competency. (How often do you hear of parents leaving a school or school board meeting feeling crushed and defeated? Or, left with the promise: “Leave it to us”, rather than an offer of co-operation or being treated like a partner.)

In l975 the Vancouver Sun produced several feature articles

THE LITTLE DEAD SCHOOLHOUSE: A REPORT ON EDUCATION
Robert Stamp, Professor of Education, University of Calgary had published the book “About Schools: What Every Canadian Parent Should Know” and we were elated that perhaps this sane voice would have an effect on the powers that be. That those institutions that seemed unfeeling to our pleas would be persuaded: teacher training faculties, school boards, administrators, legislators, teacher groups and teacher unions.

However, I did not see much movement to genuinely welcome parents into the public school system during my children’s school years.

Are things different now? 32 years later?

I now quote extensively from the Sun article, (Weekend Magazine, Sept. 6, 1975).

In the article Robert Stamp says:

“In 1970, I went out on a limb and predicted that ‘parent power may become the dominant focus of school debate in the coming decade.’…How will the schools regard this new generation of parents—as potential allies or harmful adversaries?

…Is it possible to formulate a list of ‘parents’ rights’ in education?

· The right to be recognized as an important partner in the child’s learning experience must be considered first…

· Next, comes the right to be treated courteously by school personnel…

· Parents must be informed about the school’s health and medical regulations and requirements, behavior standards…

· And there must be the right of full access to the child’s cumulative record file.

· Parents must also possess the right to contribute ideas and suggestions on school policies and procedures…

· Machinery must exist so parents and students may choose teachers within a school, schools within a system, and even among competing systems. Parents, along with teachers and students, must also have the right to propose and initiate alternative or experimental schools of their own.

…Even given the most open feeling on the part of today’s schools, many parents remain apathetic because they feel their efforts will go for naught, that the whole exercise will eventually result in tokenism. Parents want to be reassured that their effort will be genuinely helpful….

…This is where school principals have a key role to play. Strong community involvement creates a host of new managerial challenges for principals…

…Unfortunately in the past, principals weren’t prepared for these kinds of challenges. School-community relations were missing from their training programs and of little consideration in their selection as administrators…

…The classroom is the level of most intensive parental concern—“What’s happening to my child?” This is the level where parent voices can be heard most effectively. This is the level that provides the best opportunities for personal dialogue between parents and educators.

[32 years later, how is it? TA]