PARENTS HAVE BEEN AWAKENED BY THE CORONAVIRUS

 PARENTS HAVE BEEN AWAKENED BY THE CORONAVIRUS 

By Domenick Maglio Ph.D. Traditional Realist

 

Public schools were initiated by Horace Mann’s actions in the mid 1800s to educate all American children. The states took over the primary responsibility of educating the children. At first it was the 3 Rs in small community schools, then consolidated schools, then Parent Teacher Organizations were established to give parents input into their children’s schooling.

 

Being a school board member became more of a paid political position of big business bureaucracy and less of a voluntary community honor. The direct parental involvement with their children’s school has dwindled. Currently parental influence in their public school is so limited that it is difficult for the average parent to get an appointment with their child’s teacher. Public schools’ ever-increasing bureaucracy has developed methods to shut down most average parents’ access to their child’s school.

 

With minimal access to their child’s schooling there is less awareness about the everyday functioning of the school. Parents who are kept out of the school have little idea what is actually happening there. Each public-school district has a significant public relations department that publicizes positive results and camouflages any negative ones. The school board more often than not serves to justify unfortunate negative events and facts to show the public they are out for their interest. Most parents view the immense bureaucracy and impressive school buildings as ensuring that their child is getting a quality education.

 

The Covid-19 epidemic definitively has changed many parental viewpoints of public education. Children were unable to go to their schools for a whole quarter of the school year. Virtual classes from home were an eyeopener. Parents were front and center viewing their child’s lack of academic abilities, factual knowledge and concentration skills. This made parents aware of the woeful education their children are receiving as compared with their own.

 

The United States public school performance when compared with other nations has fallen drastically. Scores on the SAT and ACT, even after making the tests easier, are continuing to fall. When the USA is compared to other nations it continues to lose ground. The PISA (Programe Internationale Standard Assessment) places our nation in the unenviable position of being behind other advanced nations. Grade inflation, diluting of subject material and low standards camouflages an ineffectual education.

 

When their children cannot sign their name in cursive writing, exhibits limited vocabulary, cannot make change for a dollar, do not know basic math facts or operations, cannot write a coherent paragraph, have limited knowledge of civics, history and science, the child is “functionally illiterate.” Parents should demand answers when important subjects are being dropped from the curriculum. We all pay dearly for the education of the children and deserve a much higher level of proficiency.

 

It is time for the parents to stop excusing the school and their children for their limited knowledge. It is time for schools to stop blaming the parent for all their child’s behavioral and learning difficulties. It is time for the school and the parent to work together to make education work for each student.

 

Only when parents get together in large numbers will we begin to see more educational improvements and greater effective options. The time is here to insist on accountability from the largest county tax assessment taken for the supposedly exclusive purpose of educating all resident’s children. Throwing more millions of tax dollars at poor education has not been and never will be the answer.

 

Only by parents being engaged will we begin to see better outcomes. This necessitates that parents insist on their child doing excellent work, have access to their child’s teacher, administration and classroom and know what is happening in the child’s daily experience. All parents have the right to know how the school’s objectives: academics, social and behavioral, are going to be reached.  

 

Parents need to immediately take back their schools. Citizens are investing a large portion of their tax dollars, more than any other nation, while receiving only a poor level of academic achievement, violence and anti-American, Marxist propaganda.

 

The ultimate parental power is for parents to control their tax money. It should be given directly to the parents in a voucher. The voucher could be applied to any locally approved school facility.  The local, state and federal government should provide standards of health, safety and achievement milestones.

 

There should be no government imposed “best practices.” All schools should have the right to choose their own curriculum, motivational and disciplinary methods of students. These individual schools need to honestly describe their philosophy and practices. It will be the consumer, parent, who rates their school by investing their money in the school of their choice.

 

It is time to take back our schools and save America’s future.

 

 

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN  and a recent book entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING In a PC World. You can see many of Dr. Maglio’s articles at www.drmaglioblogspot.com.