Getting It Right: The School-Home Connection By Carol Ott

Education is a partnership; our children benefit from an alliance between school and home. It's the reason parents join the local parent-teacher organization and dutifully attend back-to school nights. It's why they volunteer for occasional field trips or special projects that bring them to school for celebrations, career days, or book fests.

Many parents remain strangers to their children's schools. They either don't feel welcome, are unsure about what kind of involvement is appropriate, or justify their absence by maintaining that the teachers know what is best. Besides, no news is good news, isn't it?

Yes and no. Many schools welcome family involvement, but some parents are concerned about appearing pushy or overly intrusive. They may have been turned off by the example of other families who are unrealistically demanding and who exert inappropriate pressure on the school.

On the other hand, teachers often view parental silence with disappointment and confusion. What must it be like to request a conference and never hear from the parent? To bring falling grades or behavioral issues to a family's attention, only to be met by aloofness or distance? No wonder many teachers assume that parents don't care.

Collaboration between home and school is especially important during times of conflict and uncertainty in a child's life.