When parents support positive learning environments at home and are engaged in their child’s academic endeavors, students experience higher achievement and better educational outcomes. (1) Open House, I am making my rounds, making sure all of our tech is working. After passing several empty classrooms, I catch a couple of my colleagues in mid-conversation. “The crowd looks a bit thin this year.” said a social studies teacher holding a stack of blank, self-sticking name badges with “Hello, my name is…” printed in red letters across the top. His associate from the Mathematics department said, “There are several empty classrooms in this hallway. I wonder where everyone could be?” Has the traditional concept of parents’ night, or open house, become an exercise whose best, well-intentioned days, passed us by? As school personnel, are we not communicating, informing, and welcoming enough for today’s families? Maybe we have been inviting parental involvement when we should be...
Ruminations about lifelong learning.