A lot of parents trust the school to do their job and, in some instances, don't take an active role in making sure their children are ready when they come to school. A lot of parents complain that the homework is too difficult or that they can't help their children with the homework. Our parents are great if they're told what to do. They need to know, though, that their children need to be prepped much earlier. Kids are now starting kindergarten knowing the alphabet, knowing how to read and how to write.
Some children are already computer literate.
Our kids are coming to the table without having these experiences. In too many cases, the preschool preparation has not been done, so we're working against the grain. We must teach some of our parents that education is a value. So, the continuum from what the school is doing and what is being reinforced in the home is not there a lot of the time. Another problem, Wilson-Davis said, is that many pupils watch TV and videos into the early morning.