Education: Birth-12th grade
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While parents and family have the most definitive influence on children, the schools also have a tremendous ability to influence them. As an increasing number of children are being raised in homes that lack proper parental oversight and guidance, we see more and more children struggling in school.
In response to the problems in the schools, there is a growing debate about the proper role of the schools in our children's cognitive, moral and social development. Clearly, we expect the schools to provide a challenging education to children. There are growing concerns that schools continue to lower standards to teach to the lowest achievers. Also, as schools become more concerned with moral issues than academic skills, the quality of public education diminishes. Finally, as more and more children exhibit behavioral challenges and impulse control problems, teachers find themselves functioning as behavioral monitors rather than educators.
There is a movement across the country to begin offering early childhood programming to all children beginning at age 3. Some contend that the public schools should begin offering childcare to infants to ensure children receive appropriate stimulation as soon as possible. There are people who believe schools should be open 24 hours a day, year round. There is no end to the lengths some want to go to facilitate the parental abandonment of children.
Ironically, the lives of children have not improved because schools have increased their involvement in the social and moral development of children. Schools cannot parent children. Please consider the following questions:
Should derelict parents be held accountable for their failure to care for their children? What penalties would increase parental involvement?
When does a lack of parental involvement in the education of a child rise to the level of neglect?
Because some parents fail to teach their children how to behave in a moral and thoughtful way, should individual teachers have the power to impart their morality on vulnerable and impressionable students?
Is the increasing rate of medication use in children indicative of parental disengagement?
Is the increasing diagnosis of Autism linked to a lack of appropriate stimulation in infancy and toddlerhood?
Many argue that because parents are failing their children, the schools need to step up to the plate. The problem with human nature is this: There is a segment of our population, and it seems to be growing, that will walk away from their responsibilities if allowed to do so. As other parents see some not doing their job, they too may begin to walk away.
We are seeing a growing trend of responsible parents pulling their children out of the public schools. Some of these children attend private schools while growing numbers of families are home schooling their children. The result is that the children left in many of our public schools have fewer options, still.
There is much talk about racial gaps in our school systems. I challenge you to consider this: The only gap that exists in our schools is a parental gap. While race and socio-economic factors contribute to the problems facing children, there are many poor children of every race who succeed. While there is the occasional "hearty" child who overcomes horrendous abuse, most often these children will tie their success back to the love and support of a parental figure.
The following are interesting links on education:
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