While many make the case that more and more effective parent involvement is an essential element of improving our schools, too many school leaders treat it as an after-thought to be nominally checked off a long list of "things I have to pay lip service to". To some degree, that's partially because there are so, so many things that administrators are asked to handle.
But it's also because 1) there's still a lack of understanding about how basic and essential parent involvement is (not a "nice to have"; a "must have"); 2) many leaders don't know how to make an impact on involvement (they should check out Family Friendly Schools); and 3) laws like the No Child left Behind Act often throw parent involvement provisions in with no teeth. This column addresses all three issues really well.
If you're a real involvement wonk, the same author worked on a comprehensive involvement report that can be found here.
