LEADERSHIP, EDUCATIONAL REFORM, POWER
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As this paper has cited, a multitude
of efforts are in progress to set high standards for student learning at
the national and state levels. State policies are being set to challenge,
support, and monitor schools as they work to improve learning for all
students. Incentives for improvement and sanctions for continued low
performance are being established. At the same time, a number of
charter school reform models across the country are beginning to
demonstrate the ability to transform entire schools into high-performing
learning centers with challenging academic standards, highly-motivated
teachers, and strong parental and community support (CSRM, p.
3).
In order for all of our young people to have greater financial security when they become adults, President Clinton has used expert, reward, legitimate, and referent power (Yukl, 1998, pp. 178ff.) in helping us to bring about reform in our educational institutions. For the first time in the history of the United States, radical transformation and true democracy in our educational system is being made possible for us to achieve. The President is handing us a golden opportunity which may not come around again in our lifetime if we don’t take advantage of this moment.
Power of Parents and Numbers. Back in the 60s the hippie generation used the phrase when fighting the Establishment, "Power with the People!" That statement is still true today.
Radical improvements in education for our children and
entire-school reform will not be successful without the "power
of parents." In this regards, power rests in taking
responsible action for the educational success of our children.
As true democracy endorses— power is the People!
The President has placed his faith in the trustworthy adults of America by his claim that all parents should have the opportunity to change schools or start new ones if their child’s school is not performing. What's more, Clinton believes that information, competition, and choice among public schools should be the rule, not the exception. According to him, any parent who is dissatisfied with either their own child’s or the school’s performance should have the opportunity to choose a public school that will do better, and called on all 50 states to enact charter school laws toward that end (America's Challenge, p. 3).
The President goes even further by stating that all schools must be held accountable for the performance of their students. If not, they should be shut down (Resource Guide, p. 4). When a school opens their doors, they must take responsibility and be held accountable for the job they have applied for. Otherwise, they are not only wasting taxpayer’s money, they are also disabling our future workers of tomorrow. Therefore, to aid parents in evaluating the effectiveness of schools in their areas, the President is requisitioning school districts to issue report cards on every school in their district (Resource Guide, p. 5).
Parents also must accept accountability for the educational success of their children. No longer can we simply drop our kids at school, and expect the school system to provide the education they must have for their future security. Parents are and continue to be their child’s first and most important teacher. President Clinton is appealing to us as parents to read with our children, see that their homework is done, see that they take the tough courses, know our children’s teachers, talk to our children directly about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and talk to them about the values we want them to have. He reminds us that these conversations could literally save their lives (America's Challenge, p. 3).
For our children who will be following the non-traditional and unconventional path toward their educational pursuits (i.e. charter schools), an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) will need to be formulated and refined over the years. Continuous oversight and modifications will need to be administered until the student gets a self-confident handle in directing their own construction of knowledge.
All
models of educational reform which are currently showing
fascinating success have strong parental involvement. PTA is beginning to
take on a whole new meaning. Parents will not only have to take the
responsibility of forming charter schools when necessary, they will also
have to stay involved in their child’s academic life until they can
"walk on their own" scholastically.
Making sure our children are provided with the knowledge and learning skills tomorrow requires may be the most important thing we as parents do in this next decade. The power to make this happen is now being made available to us, thanks largely in part to the President’s initiatives. However, if parents remain passive and do not respond, and our children do not attain higher scholastic achievement, this power may revert back to the "hands of a few," meaning governmental educational institutions.