Although math and science performance of American students on NAEP and math scores on the SAT have shown improvement in recent years, NAEP reading scores and SAT verbal scores have remained flat. Studies of individual families show that what the family does is more important to student success than family income or education. Aspects of modern life stand in the way. For example, many children are left at home alone, unsupervised or watching television for hours a day. Working parents are often faced with trying to complete all household duties in the limited time available.
Teachers also are strapped for time.
Although some would like to make home visits to families or talk more with students' parents, many teachers are parents themselves and have families to attend to. Uncertainty about what to do and their own importance . Some are simply not prepared to be parents. Other parents may have had bad experiences with school themselves and are reluctant to return to school even as a parent, or they may feel intimidated and unsure about the value of their contributions compared with those of a teacher. But teachers also need guidance.