Published the week of 12/12/04

Memo to the Governor Tim Pawlenty and state legislators: Parents need to be a part - an important part - of any program for school site management.

I do not know what conclusions the Governor and others will reach after visiting Edmonton, Alberta, which features extensive decision making power at the school level. But years of experience and research show that parent and family voices need to be present and valued when key school decisions are made. Ignoring these voices can waste money and hurt achievement. For example:

• A suburban community instituted a district wide program to teach all kindergarten students their colors. Some teachers had reported a significant number of 5 year olds did not know colors. Several parents responded that the program was not necessary, but educators felt they knew more. A study several years later found little growth in the percentage of first graders who knew colors. Why? Because the vast majority of kindergartners already knew colors before the district program began. Yes, some kindergarten students did not know colors. But the number was almost certainly not enough to require a district wide program.

• A high school had a very troubled teacher. While the vast majority of teachers did an excellent job, parents had complained about this teacher for years. He used the same lessons for 15 years, screamed at students, and often did not spell words correctly when writing on the board. Parents asked the site council for action. They were ignored. So many families used Post Secondary Options at a nearby community college for one or two courses - including the one this educator taught.

• Several years ago I attended a site council meeting in a district that receives millions of extra state dollars because it has a high percentage of low income students, many of whom do not speak English in the home. About 1/3 of the students spoke Hmong at this school. The site council meeting I attended was allocating $140,000 in state "compensatory education" funds. Fifteen Hmong parents came to the meeting, with a translator, and urged that about 1/3 of the money be spent to help students learn English. This was a high priority. The parents had learned that after school language programs could help their students learn English more quickly. But the school's principal announced that he and the staff had already decided how to spend every cent of the $140,000. Educators did not want to fund after school programs. Many of the educators' ideas were valuable. But after school programs also would have had a big impact. By rejecting entirely the parents' ideas, educators sent a powerful message. The parents did not return to the site council that year. Some helped create a charter public school, with an after school to promote rapid learning of English.

Parents always are not always right. But their insights and ideas need to be valued and considered. The wisest schools include parents in their decision making process.