PARENTS AND STUDENTS SPEAK OUT ON EDUCATION
Parents' concern with education is reflected in their responses to the question, "What
can America's teachers do to help your child succeed in life?"
"Education, education, education. Do not just push a child through the system.
Provide them with a solid foundation of learning to succeed in life."
(Mother of Kindergarten boy)
~
"Strong academics, problem solving, teach to accept differences in others. They can-
not solve the child's problems at home." (Mother of 12th grade boy)
Many students mention education when asked, "What do you think is the most
important issue or problem facing America today?"
"I think the most important problem facing America today is that a very big amount
of people are starting to not care about education. If people don't care about educa-
tion it's likely that there will be more criminals etc. Because if those people can not
get decent jobs they will eventually turn to a life of crime and robbery to get by. This
makes it very unsafe for people on the streets...and because it is already very unsafe to
be outside in some areas it will probably be that in the future we will not have free-
dom to do the activities we want at all." (8th grade girl)
~
"Education. So many teachers are doing it until they can get a better job, or to pay a
few bills. There are so few teachers that truly care about their students and are in it
to expand the student's knowledge and help them find a joy in learning."
(11th grade girl)
~
"Education. We don't have enough funds to provide for our needs, and we aren't get-
ting any more funds than we have. Schools are overcrowded and teachers are not paid
enough." (8th grade girl)
Are Teachers Doing Everything They Can? That Depends on Whom You Ask
Groups of students and parents say that teachers are not doing everything they can to
help students succeed.
·
One in three secondary school students (34%) do not think teachers are doing
everything they can, as do
·
One-quarter (24%) of parents, including three in ten parents of secondary
school students (31%).
Note, however, that parents most critical of teachers in this respect are those scoring
high on school alienation (56%) -- those who believe that what they think doesn't
count very much at their child's school and that they are left out of things going on
there (Exhibits 1.2 - 1.3).
OBSERVATION:
The question remains as to whether the highly alien-
ated parents expect or need more from teachers, or whether their children are
attending schools of poorer quality.
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