And you can't say yes to any of these requests because you're not home during the day. Heck, sometimes you're not even in the state during the day. Parent volunteers, however, make the difference between an average school and a stellar school, and can be the driving force in turning an under-performing school into a model for excellent education. Like Burbank, most schools have a core group of parents, the PTO regulars, for whom school is the focus of their energy, whose faces are familiar sights in the library, the computer lab and on field trips. Yes, say the schools, the PTO regulars and education experts.
Parent involvement is about more than about keeping library books properly shelved.
Not only does parent participation ensure the quality of schools, but it makes a real difference to your own child. Children of parents who are active in their school do better academically on average than the children of parents who do not participate. Sullivan points out that it doesn't really matter. Clearly, the child who sees his parent at school, investing time and effort, knows that his parent values what goes on there, and therefore the child will, too. Your child's school also needs you because the goals of parent volunteerism have changed dramatically in the last decade.