Blogger Rant

I'm sitting here in Charlotte NC waiting for my connection back to Little Rock so excuse me while I rant a little. I know there is lots of good stuff to blog about with emerging technology, LMS/LCMS and learning objects et al., however, there is something that is really starting to bother me a lot. What is going on with parents today. I have been in Montgomery, Union Springs, and Selma Alabama this past week (not that those locations are atypical or any different than Jonesboro Arkansas or Thomastown Mississippi) and there seems to be a system problem with parents getting involved with their child's education. Now I am a Supplemental Educational Services Provider which means my company provides after school tutoring for students that are behind, at-risk of failing, have not passed state exams at the proficient level, you get the picture. My services are free to those students. and since they also have to be on free and reduced lunch, means that they are on the lower rung of the socio-economic latter. All that is required is that their parent/guardian sign them up for it, ergo parent choice. The schools where we perform our services are in School Improvement status, another requirement that means that for at least two years, that school has failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP), are required by law to provide my services at no charge to the student. So you have a student that is failing in a school that is failing and all that is required is that the parent agree to let their child avail themselves of my services for three to four hours per week over a 12 week period and the parents are a no-show. Now granted it is not all of the parents. I think the national average is between 5 and 15% of the students are being served (dismal) and when they have parent informational fairs at the schools so that parents may learn more about the free tutoring, a percentage of the parents that show up are not from failing schools or their children are making good grades and they just want to get additional help to move them further ahead. But the ones that really need it just do not respond. And there are school districts that really don't want to let go of the funds for that purpose and don't make a real effort to get the information out to the parents. Schools in Improvement status are required to set aside 20% of their Title l funding specifically for that purpose and they would rather not in some cases. The bottom line is that there is such low interest on the part of parents that often the funds go unused. The districts say they have done what is required of them by notifying parents. I have been out in the communities talking to parents, handing out flyer's in front of Wal-Marts, Dollar Stores, churches, laundromats...you name it...I just don't get it. Then you have those parents that ask...get this...ask their kids if they WANT to go to after school tutoring. I have to stop here. They are boarding my flight...to be continued

Al