Education

Teachers Column

November 09, 1994 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

In a perfect world, teachers and parents would work together to help children succeed in school.

Researchers often cite greater parent involvement as a key to improving education, and it is now one of the eight national education goals.

But the gulf between parents and teachers remains too wide--and education schools and policymakers have failed to show teachers how they can change that, a report published last month found.

The study’s authors, Joe Nathan and Betty Radcliffe of the Center for School Change at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, surveyed about 1,800 teachers nationwide. Mr. Nathan said they were trying to find out where the teachers’ training fell short and how they would like to see parents play a greater role.

Three-fourths of the teachers said attending parent-teacher conferences was the most important way for parents to get involved. About two-thirds said parents’ general encouragement and help on homework would make a difference in student performance.

“It’s something so obvious that there hasn’t been a lot of intensive discussion” about parents and teachers cooperating, Mr. Nathan said. “But I think we’d be very foolish to underutilize this powerful tool.”

The authors are sending their findings to education schools, federal and state education officials, and parent and advocacy groups.

Mr. Nathan said he also hopes to examine parents’ role in site-based decisionmaking in a future study.

The report--the third in a series by the center examining teacher training and parent involvement--was underwritten by the Rockefeller and Blandin foundations.

Copies of the report are available for $7 each from the Center for School Change, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute, University of Minnesota, 301 19th Ave. South, Minneapolis, Minn. 55455; (612) 626-1834.

Recruiting New Teachers Inc., a nonprofit group working to enlist middle and high school students in teaching careers, has named Roseanne K. Bacon the executive director of its new national resource center.

Ms. Bacon, a past president of the Massachusetts Teachers’ Association, will head the National Center for Precollegiate Recruitment. The center was created by the Belmont, Mass.-based R.N.T. earlier this year with support from the Dewitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund.

--Joanna Richardson

A version of this article appeared in the November 09, 1994 edition of Education Week as Teachers Column

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read