As I do research for this blog about parent involvement issues, I often come across interesting stories about what’s going on across the country.
Here are three recent stories of note:
Asian parents’ expectations
After a rash of suicides in Northern California, schools are working with parents in the Asian community to help reduce stress and mental health issues among their children, especially in high-pressure Silicon Valley. Sharon Noguchi of the San Jose Mercury News recently wrote about how schools are addressing parents’ expectations in the Asian community.
Florida parents fight law
Some Florida parents are trying to skirt the law requiring their children to take state standardized tests—the main measure to decide whether to promote students to the next grade. State law forbids opting out of the tests, so parents and school officials sometimes are pitted against each other. WGCU, a public radio station in Florida, talked to parents and school administrators about how they handle this issue.
Parent involvement—or not?
A contradiction has come up in a Southern California school. Palm Lane Elementary School in Anaheim is the subject of a parent-trigger campaign in which parents are trying to turn it into a charter school. While the issue is going through appeals, the school just got a state award for its new parent-involvement program. Roxana Kopetman of The Orange County Register wrote what both sides are saying.