Education Week - November 6, 2013 - 28

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What Do
Parents Want?
In an online survey of 2,000 parents
in 2012 and subsequent "What
Parents Want" report, Fordham
Institute officials applied marketresearch
principles to parents'
priorities for schools. "A strong
core curriculum in reading
and math" and an emphasis
on science, technology,
engineering, and math,
or STEM, emerged as the top two
school priorities for parents overall.
Parents of different racial and
ethnic groups are more alike
than different when it comes to
their educational aspirations for their
children, according to a report released
by the Washington-based Thomas B.
Fordham Institute in August.
Parents wanted their
children to learn
good study habits,
self-discipline,
critical thinking,
Still important but
less critical to parents:
ncollege preparation
ndevelopment of strong social skills
ngrouping students by their ability levels
noffering vocational classes and special initiatives
aimed at struggling or special-needs students.
When the poll results
were broken down
by parents' race,
the big picture looked
much the same,
but individual
differences
emerged.
For instance, white parents
placed more importance on
"learning good study
habits and self-discipline"
than did African-American and
Hispanic parents.
and strong
communication
skills.
Meanwhile, African-American and Hispanic parents
put greater emphasis on their children's acceptance into
"a top-tier college" and a school's ability to provide
strong preparation for state tests.
Parents also said they would
give up certain programs or
study areas if it meant that doing
so would enable schools and
educators to focus more on
core curriculum, STEM, and
other high-priority areas.
Parents described certain school traits
and programs as valued but not essential,
including hands-on learning, grouping
students by ability levels, and taking a "very
traditional approach to learning."
"School characteristics" that most parents
could part with if they had to ...
SOURCE: Thomas B. Fordham Institute
MORE ONLINE:
The Role of the
K-12 PARENT
To see the package in full, visit:
www.edweek.org/go/
parents-commentary
INTERACTIVE
The Pathway From Fortress
School to Partnership School
What does a school that shuts out families look like?
What are the defining characteristics of a school that
is fully engaged in partnerships with families? Anne
T. Henderson's back-page Commentary continues in
this interactive online presentation.
STORIFY
What Is the Role of the Parent
In K-12 Education?
Check out the wide-ranging responses to this
question from Ben Austin, Jonah Edelman, the
president of the Texas PTA, a Chicago school
teacher, Education Week readers, and others.
>>A COMMENTARY SPECIAL SECTION
VIDEO
Connecting School and Home:
Supporting Parents to Build
Student Achievement
Learn about the parent center where professors
from the school of education at Mercy College,
in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., are training parents to play
a more active role in their children's education.
WEBINAR
Empowering Parents
To Transform Schools
Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. ET
Arnold F. Fege, Karran Harper Royal, and
Alberto Retana will explore how schools and
school districts can engage parents and families,
particularly those in underserved communities, to
increase student motivation and achievement.
www.edweek.org/go/webinar/
ParentEmpowerment
This Commentary special section on parent
empowerment is supported by a grant from the
Walton Family Foundation. Education Week
retains sole editorial control over the content
of this coverage.
28 | EDUCATION WEEK | November 6, 2013 | www.edweek.org/go/commentary
Melanie Burford for Education Week
fluency in a foreign language,
close proximity of a school to their homes,
lower overall school enrollment,
modernized school buildings,
fostering a love of country or patriotism,
and school uniforms.
http://www.edweek.org/go/parents-commentary http://www.edweek.org/go/parents-commentary http://www.edweek.org/go/webinar/ParentEmpowerment http://www.edweek.org/go/webinar/ParentEmpowerment http://www.edweek.org/go/commentary
Education Week - November 6, 2013

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