Posted September 15, 2005

      South Boston Online is really not sure when or where this idea started, except that it came up recently – shortly before Boston’s schools started back up again.  The idea seems so simple and effective that we wonder why it hasn’t been suggested before.

     Simply stated, require that all (yes, all) parents come to their children’s schools in person to pick up report cards.

     Before we address what will certainly be a chorus of objections, let’s address the “win-win-win” nature of this idea:

     First, the parents win.  They are informed by the teacher, face to face, about their youngster’s academic progress.  If there are problems – difficulties with specific subjects, ADD or ADHD, behavioral issues, or what we lump under “having an attitude” – the parents will know this at the end of each reporting period, not at the end of the school year or just before graduation.

      In addition, the parents can ask questions of, and receive advice from, professional educators, including the teacher.  Suggestions for improvement can be discussed and agreed upon by caring adults – the parents, the teacher, and the school administration.

     Second, the students win.  Progress in school (or its absence) will be made clear to each student by the adults who are most closely involved in her/his growth and learning.  The expectations and standards for a successful school year will be exactly communicated.

     Students having difficulties may resent their parents becoming involved, but parental involvement is essential in resolving these difficulties.  And it shows students in a tangible way that their parents are interested in them, and are supporting them.

     Third, the teachers win.  Teaching has evolved into a highly vocal profession, with issues that range from school budgeting to classroom sizes to a lack of professional respect.  But there is a thread that runs through all of the pedagogical arguments regarding the educational process:  “More parental involvement”. 

     Time and again, teachers will point to this as the most important single factor in better education.  Well, here’s an opportunity for them to begin involving more parents, face to face, right across the teacher’s desk – when parents come in to pick up (and discuss) their children’s report cards.

     So what might be the objections to making this a requirement?  Some parents may claim, “We’re too busy.”  Too busy to visit a teacher every few months?  Oh, please.  Certainly, some of Boston’s more negligent parents may never show up.  South Boston Online is well aware that there are some very bad parents out there, but we think that the 90% of parents who love their children will welcome the added interaction with the teachers.

      This will take some extra time at the end of each reporting period on the part of the teachers.  Perhaps each school’s administrative staff can lend the teachers a hand in some way.  Boston has a very high ratio of staff personnel to classroom teachers – one to one, actually.  Surely, among all of the guidance counselors, principals, curriculum directors, assistant principals, school nurses, psychologists, and so on, there are people who can help the classroom teachers with “personalizing” each student’s report card.

     Thomas Payzant, after a ten-year period of achievement as Superintendent of Schools, has announced that this is his last year.  It would be an excellent capstone to his legacy if he inaugurated the idea of picking up report cards in person.