Parental Involvement: The Priceless Item on The School Supply List

Running head: Parental Involvement

Parental involvement: The priceless item on the school supply list

Jennifer Dragoo

Western Governors University

Objective 608.4.1-01-07

Parental involvement: The priceless item on the school supply list

Preceding the inception of the new school year, each school provides a list of what most parents deem “non-essential” items to supply for their child’s teacher that have been deemed necessary to ensure educational success for the learner. The items range from pencils to coffee filters and plastic-zip-sealing bags. The average amount spent on school supplies for one sixth grade student, not including backpack, uniforms, future assigned projects costs, is close to $75.00 (Paitsel, N., 2012). However, there is one item never included on this list, which is not available via a purchase at the local retail store: parental involvement. It is an overlooked necessity which is invaluable to the educational success of each learner, on which no value can be placed. Parental involvement impacts not only the learner, but a host of other areas of the educational spectrum which ultimately influences the future of the public education system. It is a somewhat domino-effect, as without the catalyst to initiate the momentum the entire plan to achieve the success of the chain-reaction can fail to meet the end result; the successful progression through graduation. This paper will identify if parental involvement, or the lack of, potentially impacts specific key areas of a learner’s education in relation to: 1) the teacher and the standards they are held to meet each year; 2) the curriculum and instruction; 3) the mandated high stakes assessments; 4) technology and 5) the diversity and inclusion, mainstreaming, of identified learners. These areas will not only affect one learner, but possibly their classroom and ultimately, an entire school district.

What many outside the educational environment fail to recognize, is the increase in the requirements placed on school districts, educators, by the educational system at the Federal level. Educators are now also responsible for a multitude of tasks from adhering to a required state-based curriculum, complying with the definitive teaching standards, ensuring learner safety while in their charge, adapting teaching style to that of the various learning styles, and assuming the role of mediator/counselor/nurse/social worker to learners (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards [NBPTS], 2012), The elected leaders of the United States and those responsible for drafting mandates for the public education system have modified,