Public school personnel must accept the challenge of actively engaging (and, in some cases, re-engaging) parents, guardians and families in children’s learning. While we assume that every family wants its children to be successful, it is painfully clear that many families now are ill-prepared to support children’s learning properly. Even the most affluent families are hard-pressed to devote the time and energy to education that they may have been able to give in the past. Educators experience the same pressures from work and family life, and many of them may have little or no experience in reaching out to assist a child or family with unique needs.

Changing traditional attitudes about parent involvement and building substantive relationships with parents and extended families can be extremely difficult – even threatening – for educators. Nonetheless, the fact remains that parents and family members are children’s first and most influential teachers. Schools have an obligation to develop policies and strategies which encourage families to become engaged, in meaningful ways, in their children’s learning.

In some cases, this will require school personnel to rethink traditional practices and reach out to unfamiliar constituents, such as recent immigrants or non-English-speaking parents. In addition, schools must be willing to broaden the definition of "family involvement" to include other adults who may be serving as a child’s advocate or guardian.

Although the problems may be most acute in low-income areas, every community in Missouri has children who face serious obstacles to their health, safety and optimal learning. These problems include inadequate health care, poor nutrition, teen pregnancy, lack of quality child care, chronic adult unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, domestic violence and neighborhood crime. Beyond the immediate dangers to health and safety which such problems can create, these conditions can powerfully affect children’s intellectual and emotional development and permanently impair their prospects for academic success.

Children who experience such challenges in their lives and who fail to succeed in school will continue to impose heavy costs on the community and on society at large. We all pay the price for "damage-control measures" such as welfare and incarceration. Our money and energy would be much better spent on assuring that all children are healthy, living in stable homes and secure neighborhoods, and prepared to learn well throughout childhood and adolescence.

Based on recent scientific advances in our understanding of human development and brain growth, we believe that access to high-quality preschool programs and child care opportunities should come to be seen as a "basic" for all children. There is no question that the experiences of early childhood are critically important for the optimal development of children’s intellectual capacity and school readiness.

While it is not realistic or desirable for public schools to be the only source of early education and child-care services, our schools obviously have a huge stake in the quality of children’s early development and educational experiences. The hard reality is that many poor and minority children now begin school with developmental deficits or below-average readiness skills; they are trailing before the race even begins.

Missouri has been a national leader in the field of early childhood and parent education since the Parents as Teachers program was implemented in the mid-1980s. Missouri is now in a unique position to build on this record of success and to serve again as a national model by developing innovative approaches to expanding preschool and child care opportunities. We believe the public schools should be an important partner in future efforts to assure "good beginnings" for all of Missouri’s young citizens.

1. Every child and family should have access to high-quality preschool and child care opportunities. Missouri’s 21st century schools can play a key role in responding to the needs in this area. Such programs may be school-based, "school-linked," or community-based. Creative partnerships among schools, other public agencies and private organizations will be needed to extend access to all families.

 

2. Local school boards and school administrators should engage their communities in candid dialogue about issues related to student conduct, discipline, school safety and the teaching of ethics and values. Consensus is needed on these issues in order for schools to maintain a safe and civil learning environment which is based on high expectations for all.

 

3. All school districts should adopt formal security plans for each building and campus. These plans should be developed in concert with parents, law enforcement officials and other community leaders.

 

4. Local school districts should work more closely with other agencies and organizations to provide integrated support services for children and families. State-level initiatives such as Caring Communities, as well as innovative local efforts, should be encouraged as part of the overall strategy to strengthen the relationships among schools, families, civic leaders and other human-services agencies.

 

5. Business leaders and employers should consider adopting "family-friendly" policies which give adult workers greater flexibility to participate in their children’s education. Employers and local school personnel should work together to assess community needs and to provide educational programs, parent-education activities and job-related training in the workplace and at other convenient locations in the community.

 

6. School districts should adopt policies which encourage students to participate in the life of the community through volunteer and community-service activities; internships and apprenticeships with local employers; intergenerational activities with older adults; and career-oriented programs which promote the development of work-readiness and leadership skills.