Chapter 9: Involving Parents and Communities

This chapter focused on the involvement of parents with the schools, and the community support for the schools. I found this chapter to come at a perfect time for what my school district back home has been experiencing lately. The superintendent has started a four year process to combine the two districts that have been told to consolidate into a union. From an outsider perspective this is really great. It’s what we have been talking about, with saving money and cutting costs on things. Politically and economically he has the right idea, however, he is getting no support from the parents or the community at all. So, while this chapter focuses on how great it is to have parent involvement, I would like to know what can you do when the parent’s involvement actually doesn’t help the situation, but actually hinders it. Turning points writes “Parents on school-wide governance committees who work effectively and cooperatively with school staff become models of such behavior for their young adolescents and other students” (p 208). What if they are doing the exact opposite? That is completely ineffective for the district, teachers, and students. I guess right now, in my pessimistic view of parents and the community, their involvement can only really end up being a pain. Especially in a rural town in Maine.