When I was young, that's how our mother used to do for us. At Meigs Magnet Middle School, some 300 parents crowded into the cafeteria after the students had filed to their classes. Principal Fran Stewart told the parents how important it is for them to be involved in schools. All you need to do is exactly what you're doing this morning. At the afternoon celebration, Purcell stressed that good teachers and extensive parental involvement were the two top indicators of quality schools.
Parental involvement is key regardless of funding.
Older students weren't so eager to have mom and dad around. Debbie Miller, Purcell's wife, said their seventh-grade daughter, Jesse, kept staring at her parents, trying to get them to move along from her classroom. Eighth-grader Liza Hoos didn't wait that long to be clear about what she wanted. The first-day campaign stressed that even parents of high school students should step into the schools. But the students themselves are a big barrier to that.