Photo courtesy Stockvault

California, the state that has lived and sometimes died by the proposition system of governance, has unveiled a new experiment in direct democracy:  the so-called “parent trigger” that will allow parents at low-performing schools to have a voice in the way their schools are reorganized.

Designed in part to make the state more competitive for federal Race to the Top money, the legislation was signed last week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

According to the new bill, if at least 50 percent of a school’s parents sign a petition, the district’s school board must chose between several options for change, some of which are: closing the school, converting to a charter, or replacing the principal and other school leaders.

Is this good fix for low-performing schools?

Given that few parents have used the transfer option under No Child Left Behind, it’s unclear whether any group could get 50 percent of parents to sign a petition. And, even if it could, it seems like a draconian way to mandate change.

In a representational democracy, the public does have a say in the way its schools are run, and it’s through its elected representatives: the school board. I sympathize with parents whose children are stuck in bad schools and believe there should be transfer options and charters available as alternatives. But dictating the timing, and, inevitably, to some degree, the nature of reform? Not so good.

For a lively discussion of this issue, see the National Journal’s “Experts” blog.

Lawrence Hardy, Senior Editor

Though, it’s not funny, I laughed for several reasons.

After spending a holiday weekend with family, I can tell you baby boomers are among the worst offenders of overly anxious and protective parenting.  Granted, this statement has no scientific data to support it, and I’m sure there are many middle-aged parents who are neither consumed nor interested in the daily activities or their adult son or daughter.

But I run across enough newspaper articles and hear more than a few stories to, at least, hint that the overly attached parent is a real and growing phenomenon. It’s one of the reasons, I wrote “Parent Trap” for ASBJ last February.

While educators understand the importance of parental involvement in schools, different parents require different approaches. The challenge with “helicopter parents,” isnt’ so much getting them involved but showing them, diplomatically, where their involvement is best needed— and not.

As I mentioned, I laughed at the Commercial Appeal article for several reasons. I learned recently that the son of one of the parent’s I profiled for my ASBJ story on parental involvement had been selected for a prestigious internship with the U.S. Embassy in Senegal.  

I also learned his mother launched an exporting business in the West African country,  appointing her son as communications director.

Hmmm.

Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor