Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Parental Involvement Not Needed: Dallas ISD 2013-14 Action Plan

Missing from the “2013/14 District Action Plan” are any goals that would adequately build toward and reflect the primacy of parental involvement in the education of DISD children.

Goal #4 on page 2 of this Plan states: “PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: Develop shared responsibility between parents/guardians and schools that foster academic success and self management of learning.”

While some may consider this goal “adequate,” the key action listed (page 3, copied below) so as to achieve this goal has almost no relationship to the goal: “Expand early intervention programs and programs to support early childhood education and support.” with an allocated cost of $5,000,000.

Page 3 of 2013/14 District Action Plan
(Right click and open link to enlarge and/or print.)

How is this listed “key action” any more related to parental involvement that any other educational program improvement? Parental involvement must be much more central, with direct attention given to it! It must have constant attention throughout all the years that a student attends DISD, especially during the middle and high school years, and not just the early childhood education years!

The goals listed do not mention either student or parental goals, or helping DISD parents or their children to better understand the potential in education so as to develop such personal goals. Without such goal development how will DISD generate parental involvement and student motivation?

Even if parental and student goals and concerns are ignored by DISD Central Office, they remain central to any successful education. The DISD Board must change the 2013/14 District Action Plan to include such goals by name.  The official copy of the 2013/14 District Action Plan presented on 4-11-13 is at http://sire.dallasisd.org/sirepub/cache/0/24dogu45dto4oq55knmqg2nb/40357904222013121708416.PDF

The relative apathy displayed toward parental and student goals in this plan from DISD Central Office reflects a management culture that's generating decisions with no more than a token acknowledgment of public or parental concerns.