The dropout disaster

The school dropout disaster -- Who’s to blame? ... teachers, teenagers, or parents?

The principal of a large urban school in which I worked was worried about the negative change in a seventh grader’s behavior. Usually a good student academically with a good attitude about school, Jake had become disinterested in learning and disruptive in the classroom.

Hoping to get more insight into what was causing Jake's trouble, the principal called his home. No sooner had he identified himself and before being given a chance to explain why he was calling, the principal was met with parent hostility:

“Look.. whatever you’re calling about I don’t have time to come to school about him, so whatever he did , you figure out what to do about it. That’s what you get paid for!” the boy’s mother growled. Then she hung up.

In my experience, this is not an unusual story. Countless numbers of mothers and fathers won’t or don’t take time for their children either at school or at home. In his recent message to the N.A.A.C.P President Obama emphasized the importance of those who CREATE children to spend time CARING for them.

There are irresponsible mothers and fathers of every race and region who mistakenly view THE SCHOOL as the ENEMY especially when their time or participation is required. They regularly absent themselves from taking any responsibility for their child’s behavior in school. They are truant from working with teachers in an effort to better educate and support the youth. They drop out of attending P.T.A. meetings and other school activities. They fail to try to help their sons and daughters with school homework, or even check to see whether or not it is being done

The sad result of this mistaken hostility against, avoidance of, or, at least failure to support their child’s school life is resulting in large numbers of parents becoming the MOST UNREACHABLE DROP OUTS OF ALL.