They're the reason Monica Stallworth's first-grade students can snuggle down with a book on the reading carpet at Mary B. Austin Elementary. They're why students at Baker High School don' t have to dodge water droplets from a leaking roof in order to study geometry. Back to school section They're people like Aurelia Swann, Stella Reindl and Pamyla Shirley - three Mobile County parents who were among just four in the state recognized this year as Parents of the Year by the Alabama Education Association. When parents volunteer, students are more disciplined, test scores are higher, homework is more likely to be completed, hallways are cleaner and teachers are happier, research shows. But educators say getting parents involved can still be one of the toughest tasks they face.
Parents are busy.
Some have had bad experiences with school themselves and feel intimidated going back. But they have to get in the building first. It's why Mobile County schools Superintendent Harold Dodge asks that each teacher call one student's home every day with a positive word. It's why the U.S. Congress in six years ago put parental involvement on its list of National Education Goals, and why it increased federal funding for family involvement in education programs like Title I and Even Start - aimed at assisting schools where high percentages of students come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. I schools, where more than 50 percent of the students are on free and reduced lunch plans.