Barack Obama, who becomes the nation鈥檚 44th president this week, is getting plenty of advice on which goals to tackle first in this ugly economy. Most ideas call for urgent action and carry a big price tag.
When it comes to education, however, there is one high-impact, low-cost lever we hope he and his choice for U.S. secretary of education, Chicago鈥檚 accomplished schools chief, Arne Duncan, can pull immediately to boost student achievement: parent power.
President Obama has a good start. During the campaign, parents and teachers cheered when he said the magic words: 鈥淭urn off the TV, read to your children, check their homework, and send them to school ready to learn.鈥�
Many parents heard what they鈥檇 been thinking, and teachers were thrilled that someone so persuasive was singing their song.
Parents are the first teachers of the nation鈥檚 nearly 55 million school-age children. Research clearly shows that many of these students鈥� foundational skills and attitudes toward learning have already been shaped by the time they get to kindergarten.
We look forward to the morning President Obama walks into a morning press conference and says: 鈥淪orry I鈥檓 late. Today was my turn to drill the girls on their spelling words.鈥�
Children are deeply influenced throughout their schooling by parents鈥� expectations, behavior, and support. Many studies show that parents have at least as much impact on their children鈥檚 academic success as teachers do.
Mr. Obama can use the full weight of the presidency to unleash the transforming power of this latent resource. For too long, schools have assigned parents the role of fundraiser and bake-sale booster. Let鈥檚 launch a national campaign that draws them more deeply into their children鈥檚 education.
Here are four ways this can be done, and how Mr. Obama and his team can help:
First, work with states to develop national K-12 education standards that define what it takes for young adults to be successful. Communicate those standards in plain language to parents and citizens everywhere. Many of the current state standards and uneven assessments are unfair to students and often misleadingly reassuring to parents. National standards鈥攆ocused on what matters most鈥攚ill be a powerful rallying cry that everyone can get behind, including parents.
Second, leverage new technologies to show parents how their children are progressing. Show them what it looks like for their children to be academically 鈥渙n track,鈥� and how they can support their children鈥檚 learning. We all have heard horror stories about parents who are suddenly shocked to learn that the reason their 8th grader is having trouble in science can be traced to her reading at a 4th grade level, which means she has to scramble to catch up. New Web- and cellphone-based technologies have the power to keep parents updated on progress daily and draw them into deeper involvement and support鈥攁nd at a very low cost.
Third, use the presidential bully pulpit to make it cool to do well in school. Kids show great excitement about Mr. Obama鈥檚 presidency. The day after his election, one high school junior snapped up a newspaper to keep for her future children. 鈥淚 love Obama!鈥� she exclaimed. Why? 鈥淗e鈥檚 just like me!鈥� Because she was white and blonde, it seemed worth asking, 鈥淎nd how is that?鈥� The girl explained: 鈥淗e鈥檚 smart. Like me. Now I won鈥檛 get teased for good grades. He鈥檚 skinny, like me, and he鈥檚 from a messed-up family but he made it to the White House. So can I.鈥� Now there鈥檚 a child who will not be left behind.
Fourth, be 鈥減arent in chief.鈥� Parents took note when the young president-to-be called his daughters from the road and asked about their homework. Attending a parent-teacher conference the day after he was elected also sent a splendid message: We may have been up all night, but this is important. That he didn鈥檛 delegate this to Mrs. Obama set a great example.
The so-called chattering class logged a lot of broadcast airtime about where the Obamas would be sending their daughters to school. But their choice of the private Sidwell Friends School may not be as important to the girls鈥� academic success as the involvement the president and first lady continue to have in their daughters鈥� education: the questions they ask, the reading they encourage, the support they give, and the high expectations they set for academic performance.
