This from Tom Friedman in the
New York Times:
IN recent years, we've been treated to reams of op-ed articles about how we need better teachers in our public schools and, if only the teachers' unions would go away, our kids would score like Singapore's on the big international tests. There's no question that a great teacher can make a huge difference in a student's achievement, and we need to recruit, train and reward more such teachers. But here's what some new studies are also showing: We need better parents.
Parents more focused on their children's education can also make a huge difference in a student's achievement. How do we know? Every three years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or O.E.C.D., conducts exams as part of the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, which tests 15-year-olds in the world's leading industrialized nations on their reading comprehension and ability to use what they've learned in math and science to solve real problems - the most important skills for succeeding in college and life. America's 15-year-olds have not been distinguishing themselves in the PISA exams compared with students in Singapore, Finland and Shanghai.To better understand why some students thrive taking the PISA tests and others do not, Andreas Schleicher, who oversees the exams for the O.E.C.D., was encouraged by the O.E.C.D. countries to look beyond the classrooms.
So starting with four countries in 2006, and then adding 14 more in 2009, the PISA team went to the parents of 5,000 students and interviewed them "about how they raised their kids and then compared that with the test results" for each of those years, Schleicher explained to me. Two weeks ago, the PISA team published the three main findings of its study:
"Fifteen-year-old students whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents read with them infrequently or not at all.
The performance advantage among students whose parents read to them in their early school years is evident regardless of the family's socioeconomic background. Parents' engagement with their 15-year-olds is strongly associated with better performance in PISA."Schleicher explained to me that "just asking your child how was their school day and showing genuine interest in the learning that they are doing can have the same impact as hours of private tutoring.
It is something every parent can do, no matter what their education level or social background."For instance, the PISA study revealed that "students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child 'every day or almost every day' or 'once or twice a week' during the first year of primary school have markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child 'never or almost never' or only 'once or twice a month.'
On average, the score difference is 25 points, the equivalent of well over half a school year."Yes, students from more well-to-do households are more likely to have more involved parents. "However," the PISA team found, "even when comparing students of similar socioeconomic backgrounds, those students whose parents regularly read books to them when they were in the first year of primary school score 14 points higher, on average, than students whose parents did not."...
4 comments:
Maybe states should send in HSPs (highly skilled parents) to the poor performing student's households and give some inservices. They would have to do a PIP (parent improvement plan)and submit parenting plans each day. If there was a difference in sibbling performance, the parents would have to create an intervention plan to address the gap. Of course at the end of the year, their child's performance on a norm referenced exam would determine if they could continue as parents or if the child could leave the poor performing household and select another family who was performing well to be raised.
Although it shouldn't take an article to make people aware of the importance of a good parent, I think this should be posted in every teacher's classroom. I understand that life's obligations can often leave a parent with little to no extra time for reading or any one-on-one interaction of the sort, but it just has to be done. A child will only achieve the level of success that he thinks his parents have for him. Whether the parent has high expectations or not means nothing if the importance of education is not taught regularly in the home.
I totally agree with this article. A great teacher can make a difference in a child's life but the involvement of the parents is crucial. Children crave attention and affection from their parents so by reading to your child and asking them how their day has been, what they have learned, etc. It shows that you care about them and what they are learning. There is only so much their teacher can do. The teacher can teach them everything they need to know about Math, Science, English, History, Arts, etc but the parents are the ones that have to show the children that they care about their education and their achievement not only in academics but in life.
Many studies I have learned, show that parent interaction and involvement in their child's upbringing has made a great impact not only in their education, but as well as their speech production and social interaction with others. I recently read in one of the classes that it doesn't matter if you are reading your child a magazine, newspaper, or a book, they are processing these words and linking them to different meanings without actually sitting them down and having a "lesson" be taught to them. I think parent interaction in crucial when wanting your children to succeed in the classroom.
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