Annie Murphy Paul's Article Why Parenting Is More Important Than Schools?

1486 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The effects of parent involvement/engagement on student achievement

Many people believe that urban schools are failing to educate all of the students they serve, but in reality, they are only failing a portion of them. Reports and observations give off the perception that these schools students achieve less, retain less material and the student’s success after the schooling process is over, is low. Some of the students are failing because they are lacking things like school readiness, a basic understanding of the English language or simply because they are not engaged. Schools need to find a way to incorporate each student in their own education and not forget about those who are struggling. Academic success hinges on many different factors that the families, students and schools are all responsible for helping. …show more content…

She mentions how schools would have to increase their spending by around 1,000 dollars per student to achieve the same results that are gained through parental involvement. Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone is a great example of how parents can be involved in their child’s early education. Canada created this project as a way to help low income parents rear their children toward the goal of them being ready and having success in school. The program starts at birth and follows the children to college and operates on the principle that each child will do better if the children surrounding them are also doing well. By entering their children into this program, the parents are helping to ensure that the child is on the same level playing fields as all of those who enter school. Parental involvement is key in a child’s education, but for parents who are working multiple jobs or do not speak the same language that is being taught at the school, it can be very difficult. Lower income families may struggle with parental involvement because of a lack of resources or time. The language barrier also creates a divide in the communication lines between schools and families. Parents who cannot understand what their child is learning are not going to want to be as involved. They won’t be as willing to talk to the teacher or other parents if they don’t understand what is happening because of a language or educational

Show More
Related

  • Improbable Scholars Summary

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    To accomplish this, CDGM employed these student’s parents, which simultaneously provided economic opportunity and parental involvement. According to Sanders, employing parents fostered two results. She writes, “[first], parental involvement helped to build trust and respect between children and their families. Second, Head Start employment helped many parents to work their way out of poverty, ensuring that their children had brighter futures,” (2016, p. 37). In having a clear vision of what “good education” is and what the results of a “good education” should be, CDGM was able to expand their conception of what school can and should address.

    Read More

  • Unequal Childhoods Chapter Summary

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    For such families, “sustaining children’s natural growth is viewed as an accomplishment” (Lareau 34). Lareau also reported that many working class and poor parents feel that educators hold the expertise, and usually fear doing the “wrong thing” in school-related matters (Lareau 357). What this usually leads to is trying to maintain a separation between school and home (Lareau 358).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Pound Cake Speech By Bill Cosby

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    Parenting alone is not to blame for poor school performance of African American children. The size of a school affects their student’s dropout rate. When school size increases the quality of education decreases. As stated by Velma Zahirovic-Herbert and Geoffrey

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of California's Charter Schools

    2349 Words  | 5 Pages

    California is one of the largest states in the country and has one of the biggest state budgets, but in the past several years, its school system has become one of the worst in the nation because of enormous budget cuts in efforts to balance the state’s enormous deficit. The economic downturn at the end of the 2000s resulted in even more cuts to education. It is in environments like this one in which students from poor backgrounds become most vulnerable because of their lack of access to support in their homes as well as other programs outside of schools. Their already financially restricted school districts have no choice but to cut supplementary programs and increase class sizes among other negative changes to public schools. The lack of financial support from the state level as well as demands for schools to meet certain testing benchmarks by the state results in a system in which the schools are no longer able to focus on students as individuals; they are forced to treat students as numbers rather than on an individual case by case basis. An article from the Los Angeles Times showed that majority of Californians give California schools “a grade of C or below” and half think that the quality of schools will continue to decline (Watanabe).While the economic downturn affected the public school system in a negative way, it was not the sole root of its problems. It just simply exacerbated already existing issues.

    Read More

  • Unequal Education in America: Urban vs Suburban Education

    2470 Words  | 5 Pages

    The gap between the nation’s best and worst public schools continues to grow. Our country is based on freedom and equality for all, yet in practice and in the spectrum of education this is rarely the case. We do not even have to step further than our own city and its public school system, which many media outlets have labeled “dysfunctional” and “in shambles.” At the same time, Montgomery County, located just northwest of the District in suburban Maryland, stands as one of the top school systems in the country. Within each of these systems, there are schools that excel and there are schools that consistently measure below average. Money alone can not erase this gap. While increased spending may help, the real problem is often rooted in the complex issues of social, cultural, and economic differences. When combined with factors involving the school itself and the institution that supports it, we arrive at what has been widely known as the divide between the suburban and urban schools. Can anything actually be done to reverse this apparent trend of inequality or are the outside factors too powerful to change?

    Read More

  • The American School System: In Need of Change

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although our school system is in need of change, the film did not consider the part parental involvement plays in education, a drawback of the film. Education spending in our country has more than doubled in recent decades, but children in most states have proficiency rates of only 20 or 30 percent in math and reading (Weber 6). One must wonder if, with all of this extra spending and consistently low test scores, the problem goes beyond the school system and into American families. After all, even with small class sizes, the amount of one-on-one attention is limited for each student. Isn’t it up to parents to push their children to succeed? Amy Chua, author of the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother uses an almost militant form of parenting which – though highly controversial – demands nothing short of excellence from her children. While other children were allowed to ride their bikes or play video games with their friends, Chua demanded that her seven-year-old daughter practice t...

    Read More

  • The Detroit Public School System

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    Detroit is a story of a once flourishing city that has been on a long downslide for decades. There are miles of unoccupied homes and buildings, and crimes and unemployment are at an all-time high. Many aspects of the city are breaking down, including the school system. The Detroit Public School System has lost over eighty thousand students due to high enrollment in charter schools, the large economic decline, and the departure of residents. For many years no one has taken responsibility for the public school system. However, for Detroit to rise again, it is necessary for someone to take responsibility, make a plan, and make sure that children are safe, well cared for, and are receiving a high quality education when going to school each day. In 2016, schools are low-performing with poor test scores, are falling apart, and teachers and parents have decided to take a stand.

    Read More

  • Closing the Achievement Gap

    2009 Words  | 5 Pages

    In conclusion, the Academic Achievement has been fueled by society's presets, minority students' lack of effort, and the failures of the schooling system in America. There has been some challenging setbacks, but the Gap can be fixed to create a common ground for all prospective members of America's society to excel on equally. By realizing that change can be achieved, there are little to no limits for minority students to create a better mindset towards education. Students, parents, and teachers have to be willing to work together, as well as tackle obstacles upheld by society, and the economic deficiencies that effect schools across America. This will, in turn, take America one step closer to closing the Academic Achievement Gap in America.

    Read More

  • Homelessness in Public Schools

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    Carter. Samuel, C. (2000). No excuses; lessons from 21 high performing high poverty schools. Washington, DC: The Heritage Foundation.

    Read More

  • Failing Urban Schools

    1882 Words  | 4 Pages

    Education is an integral part of society, school helps children learn social norms as well as teach them how to be successful adults. The school systems in United States, however are failing their students. In the world as a whole, the United States is quickly falling behind other countries in important math and reading scores. The United States ranked thirtieth in math on a global scale and twentieth in literacy. This is even more true in more urban, lower socio-economic areas in the United States. These schools have lower test scores and high dropout rates. In Trenton Central High School West, there was an 83% proficiency in literacy and only 49% of the students were proficient in math. Many of these students come from minority backgrounds and are often from low income families. There are many issues surrounding these urban schools. There is a severe lack of proper funding in these districts, and much of the money they do receive is sanctioned for non-crucial things. Schools also need a certain level of individualization with their students, and in many urban classes, this simply does not happen. While there are many factors affecting the low performance of urban schools, the lack of proper funding and distribution of funds, the cultural divide between teachers and students in urban districts, along with the lack of individualization in urban classrooms are crucial reasons to explain the poor performance in these districts. Through a process of teacher lead budget committees and further teacher education, urban schools can be transformed and be better equipped to prepare their students for the global stage.

    Read More

  • Impoverished Schools Create Impoverished Adults

    961 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to a student’s academic success in poverty stricken schools is that they are unwilling and unable to learn. This is not the case. Yes a child can determine their own education by choosing to do their work and be willing to learn, but you must take into consideration their circumstances. Most of these schools are very diverse, which leads them to be exposed to gangs, drugs, and violence. The achievement gap between these schools and more fortunate schools is wide. As well, these schools do not have the funding to afford supplies and materials to provide an education that meets standards.

    Read More

  • What Is The Negative Effects Of Urban Education?

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine going to school one day, and you find out that your teacher is being laid off because the school can not afford to keep them. Your school has decided to triple the amount of students in one class. Urban education has been impacted tremendously by insufficient funding, and overcrowding schools. Urban schools are insufficiently funded causing, smaller amounts of teaching staff, outdated supplies, and poor building conditions. Urban schools are also overcrowded, which causes stressful working conditions and negative effects on classroom activities. The current issues are negatively affecting students academically in urban schools. Insufficient funding and overcrowding urban schools are greatly impacting urban education.

    Read More

  • Essay On Youth And Poverty

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to research children from low-income housing situations are at high risk of academic underachievement. The educational system of universities and colleges in the United States also in most other countries usually gravitates towards students who come from more privileged backgrounds. Since that’s the case, adolescents in poverty are at a higher risk than privileged children when it comes to repeating the same grade, exclusive injurious placements during school hours and not getting their high school diploma. Conditions that hinder children from learning in a safe environment are obstacles for schools in poverty-stricken areas. Children 's success in school is affected drastically by poverty. Students are at a disadvantage in the classroom

    Read More

  • Parental Involvement In Education Essay

    2240 Words  | 5 Pages

    A lot of children have two main educators in their life; their parents and their teachers. Parents are their first educators, the majority of what a child learns in the first few years of their life is taught by their parents. It is only when the child starts to attend an early years setting that they start to learn from another educator. Both parents and teachers continue being a major influence on their children's learning all throughout school and for the rest of their lives. The parents and the child's school both have important roles to play in the child's education and should therefore work together as a team. Parents can get involved in many different ways such as; getting involved with the school itself by helping in the classroom or supervising lunch and break times, or for those parents who work in the day and cannot find the time to help at the school they can get involved by; reading to their child at home, assisting with homework and other learning activities, teaching them songs or nursery rhymes and letting them help with everyday tasks like cooking, baking and chores. This can be categorised as: Involvement of parents in the school life or involvement of parents in supporting the individual child at home.

    Read More

  • Parent Teacher Relationship Essay

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the reading it brings up how most parents are only contacted by the school when it is something bad. This is not how it should be. Teachers should be sending home good news notes to the parents praising the students for their hard work in the class. Schools also need to be welcoming to the families and provide workshops to assist in the parent’s knowledge to allow them to help their children with their schoolwork. Having the parents involved and aware of the things that are going on in the classroom and the school are great ways to build that relationship and to enhance the student’s academic achievement and

    Read More

More about Annie Murphy Paul's Article Why Parenting Is More Important Than Schools?

Open Document