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Parent Report Cards
Apparently this was tried in Chicago 7 years ago -- and abandoned after 1 year. Hard to believe, but it didn't solve the problems and actually created resentment between parents and teachers. Who could have predicted that?
He said the program would not be punitive, but instead would help the district identify struggling parents who might need support.They can't identify the struggling parents without grading all of them?
And how do you think that Board will respond when parents demand the right to grade the teachers, administrators and board members?
27 comments:
Blech.
This may be even worse than what our K-4 did last year. Maybe. Prior to receiving report cards, parents received a blank report card and were asked to grade our own child. Students had to grade themselves as well.
Who thinks this stuff up?
Edwards wants parents and guardians to be evaluated in areas that include whether they ensure that their child gets to school on time, with homework completed, and properly nourished and dressed for the weather.
So....when the school sends home homework the kid can't do, I guess the parent will get graded on whether or not he hired a tutor to teach the content.
We really are sunk.
This is an illustration of my rule of thumb, which is that when you have Democrats and Republicans agreeing on something (parent involvement explains school success in this case) there is no hope.
Several years ago we had both of our autistic kids in a charter school for autistic children.
The school ran into a huge amount of trouble when the founders ousted the director, who we thought was brilliant.
She was brilliant, but at one point she told us all, at a parent meeting, that she was going to start "taking data" on whether we came to the school as often as we were supposed to and did the mandated number of observations of our kids' classrooms, etc.
Now this was a woman we'd gone to war with the founder parents over.
When she said "I'm going to take data on parents" I said, "Put me down for zero."
I didn't just think it.
I said it.
I don't know if all you guys were around when I posted the scene from 24 where a school principal in L.A. tells President David Palmer that they can't have decent schools because they don't have decent parent involvement.
David Palmer hands her off to his aide, Mike, and as the two walk away you hear the principal whining to Mike, "What can we do about the parents?"
He said the program would not be punitive, but instead would help the district identify struggling parents who might need support.
Hey!
That's just like all the group non-punishments the kids have here!
They're not group punishments.
They're group reflections.
Vaughn said Chicago now relies on a plan that depends heavily on surveys to promote home-school communication.
"Our focus now is on having parents grade us," he said.
much bettah
Some districts ask parents to sign contracts, acknowledging they are aware of certain policies and standards, Caruso said.
As we learned 3 years ago, legally speaking a contract isn't a contract without two signatures.
Democrat Margaret Hackett, the chairwoman of the school board, said she is not comfortable with Edwards' approach and prefers giving parents a self-assessment form that would help them reflect on their responsibilities and performance.
A required reflection!
Democrats are doing WAY better here than Republicans, the reflection idea notwithstanding.
Some of the comments are great:
Here's an exercise for Mr. Edwards: If the idea did not work elsewhere, list 10 reasons why it should work in Manchester, CT (5 points each). Then list 10 cost-effective steps the district is prepared to take to help parents improve their grades (5 points each).
Charter schools NOW.
Charters, vouchers, tax credits for homeschooling----now, now, now!
well...just read all 42 comments (much better use of time than writing page 2)...Parent Report Cards are getting the stuffings kicked out of them, I'm happy to report.
Back to work.
Prior to receiving report cards, parents received a blank report card and were asked to grade our own child.
Sheesh. And people wonder why Connecticut has sunk in the State education rankings.
Forced parental reflection.
As we learned 3 years ago, legally speaking a contract isn't a contract without two signatures.
And then there is the matter of "consideration." If one party to a contract gets nothing in return for the signature, there is no consideration.
I haven't seen one of those contracts in a couple of years.
I forgot that part!
I remember years ago, when I was interviewing lots of people for a book I was writing, I had to have everyone sign a statement saying I had given them "consideration," which may have been given as one dollar, iirc.
I didn't give them the dollar, but everyone was supposed to sign the statement.
Lynn - do you want to write something up quickly about this?
(Don't bother if you're pressed for time.)
Prior to receiving report cards, parents received a blank report card and were asked to grade our own child.
good grief
I missed that part
The "parent involvement" business is even more intense and damaging than I had realized.
Thank God for KIPP.
The problem with KIPP as an "exemplar," though, is that it is universally dismissed because of the extra time on task.
When no one knows much about effective teaching, KIPP's intensive schedule of classes (Saturday mornings, summer, etc.) is the one thing that stands out.
The middle school principal carefully wrote me an email laying out KIPP's entire schedule. His point was that KIPP can do what we can't because they have classes on Saturday mornings and in the summer.
The parent involvement stuff has to be fought.
Rural school data is probably about the best rebuttal we have -- rural schools and Morningside School.
Will have to start spreading the word.
After I write 200 pages of my book, of course.
Elements of a valid contract? I'm sure to forget something important but:
1 - Age of majority (over 18 in most states)
2 - competent
3- two or more parties to the contract
4 - consideration
5 - can be verbal, but must be written in some situations -- land sales is one I recall
6 - a meeting of the minds or a mutual understanding of what the contract covers
7 - offer and acceptance
That's about it, I think.
How many times has a school given me a contract that violated just about every one of these principles?
Manchester? That's one town over from where I grew up! Manchester has changed a lot over the years. It now seems like an extension of East Hartford.
"Edwards wants parents and guardians to be evaluated in areas that include whether they ensure that their child gets to school on time, with homework completed, and properly nourished and dressed for the weather."
"dressed for the weather"?
"properly nourished"?
My son eats next to nothing in the morning and his lunch bag comes home almost full. He probably takes his coat off when he get out of sight of the house.
OK. If parents do these things, what then? If they had a magic genie that made sure all of these things got done, would they see any change? What is the percentage?
They are ALWAYS looking for external causes. Outside of missing school, how difficult is it to guarantee that all students know their times table when they get done with third grade, regardless of homework or what goes on at home?
12:55
750 words
how did it get to be 1 o'clock?
How many times has a school given me a contract that violated just about every one of these principles?
I give up.
How many?
Ed just got back from France, where he talked to a couple whose kids attend a good Catholic school.
They do almost all their work at school, and never do more than an hour of homework at home. (These kids are middle school age, I think.)
Their days are longer, I believe, and there's no fluff. No Home and Healthy, no Technology, etc.
Most of their work is done at school and is supervised by teachers.
C's ELA teacher is doing that.
They wrote a paper in class, start to finish.
I think his social studies teacher is doing that to a large degree, too. He's definitely teaching them step by step.
The thing about this situation is that it's not "the school" that's come up with this plan.
It's a parent elected to the school board.
Back to work.
10-page days are....going to be long.
Sheesh. And people wonder why Connecticut has sunk in the State education rankings.
Yes, the state with the second highest per capita income in the U.S.(after New Jersey) and our schools are tanking. Maybe it's supposed to balance things out?
2:05
1000 words
So....can I get another 6 pages done before the kids come home?
Yes, the state with the second highest per capita income in the U.S.(after New Jersey) and our schools are tanking.
Are CT schools worse than schools elsewhere?
3:06 pm
1266 words
time flies when you're having fun
Not every "elsewhere", but certainly lots of other states do much better. If you compare on national rankings, CT is spiraling downward. Add to that a standardized that is anything but rigorous and it's bad news for the nutmeg state.
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