An Associated Press-Stanford University Poll on education found that 68 percent of adults believe parents deserve heavy blame for what’s wrong with the U.S. education system — more than teachers, school administrators, the government or teachers unions. Only 35 percent of those surveyed agreed that teachers deserve a great deal or a lot of the blame. Moms were more likely than dads — 72 percent versus 61 percent — to say parents are at fault. Conservatives were more likely than moderates or liberals to blame parents.
If only it were this simple. Assign blame and kick someone in the rear to get moving. I can’t believe the Gates Foundation spent good money on this.
Of course some parents are to blame, as are some students, some teachers, lots of administrators, and nearly all politicians. Parents who think that school is a baby sitting service are dropping the ball. Same goes for those parents who are generally uninvolved in their children’s lives outside of school.
My take is that the vast majority of parents are doing the best the can with the skills and financial resources they have. Naturally there are a few who are not. But the real question is how to improve everyone’s schools whether or not the parent is involved?