Our school district is now a school district "In need of Improvement" according the Feds.

What does this mean? I would like to suggest that some of us have thought this was the case several years ago.

Clearly academic achievement in this state has been questionable for many years to those who have seen education elsewhere.

This past week the school board held a work study where they asked the principals of those schools that have failed the achievement test criteria to tell the board what their "plan" was to improve the achievement in their schools.

All of the secondary schools and several of the elementary schools were in the category of needing improvement.

Some of the schools, two of the middle schools and three of the four high schools, show evidence that suggests that students have a lower level of achievement each year they attend the school!

If this trend continues for another year, some of the elementary school students will have the option of transferring to another school in the district that has a better record. The Kent School District already has to do this.

A full forest of trees had to be cut down to put together the "plans" that each individual school has put forth.

One of the reasons many of the principals stated for the failures of previous plans was, "failure to follow through," and one has to worry that this effort may be another case of this.

The board asked very few questions of the six schools that made actual presentations, but President Barney did ask perhaps the most significant question to one of the middle school principals.

"How are you going to increase parent involvement?" The answer was, "We don't know how to do this!"

As one looks through the two inch document of the "plans," there is almost no mention of increasing the level of parent involvement, and concern, as a way of increasing student achievement.

Instead of seeking the help of parents, the plans suggest more teacher to teacher conferences, new curriculum and other programs that do not involve the parents.

One only has to talk with some of the kids who are not doing well to come to a conclusion that their parents do not show a great deal of concern about the learning of their children.

Some of this is probably unintentional, and some of this is just indifference, but in all cases it is very harmful to the student.

Addressing this issue just seems to be beyond the scope of educators. They continue to believe that "They can do it alone."

There are two important factors that almost all of these schools are overlooking:

1. The School Reform Law of the State of Washington's second and third objectives state:

"Parents to be primary partners in the education of their children, and to play a significantly greater role in local school decision making."

"Students to take more responsibility for their education."

2. The No Child Left Behind Law states:

"Each Title I, Part A school must jointly develop, with the parents of children served under Title I, Part A, a school-parent compact as a component of its written parental involvement policy. A school-parent compact is a written agreement between the school and the parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs that identifies the activities that the parents, the entire school staff, and the students will undertake to share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement. In addition, the school-parent compact outlines the activities that the parents, school staff, and students will undertake to build and develop a partnership to help the children achieve to the State's high academic standards."

There is some question in this state about "High academic standards," but nonetheless what is clear is that higher achievement requires the involvement of parents, particularly the parents of kids who are not doing well in school.

Why is it that educators don't get this? Conversations with some of these parents can be confrontational, and this just isn't "nice." Most educators would prefer to avoid this.

In addition, there is the problem that some of these parents may not be eager to come and talk to the educator.

Isn't it time that we have a "Come to Jesus" conversation with any parents of children who are not doing well in school?

I think so.