At last! Report cards get a bad rap. But is it enough to make a difference?

There is a backlash against giving out report cards in the fall. In fact, fall report cards deserve an F because teachers do not know a child well enough to be able to report back to parents in a meaningful way and the marks given may not represent a child’s ability. So it says in my paper today.

What do educators recommend instead? Well, some say that student-led meeting will fit the bill and others suggest round table chats with parents about the academic progress children are making.

These are good moves, but something about them bothered me and it took me a while to work out what it was.

For a start, the proposed new meetings would only be once a year. The other report cards would still be full of grade levels and information that parents cannot use despite the best efforts of teachers to making them informative and useful. But having meetings that are either student led or around a table is a move in the right direction.

So why was I feeling upset? What was it about this news item that bugged me? Well, after sushi for lunch, (raw fish is great brain food) I worked it out. I am upset for two reasons.

Firstly, I am upset because the new initiatives do not go far enough, and secondly I am upset because I have to find a way to get my message out.

What do I mean by ‘the initiatives do not go far enough’? My research showed that student led conferences and parent/teacher chats are all well and good but that they still leave the teacher in charge. Parents do not have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas about their child’s education in any meaningful way.

In student-led conferences and round table meetings the emphasis is on what the teachers can tell the parents,what the teacher has taught the child ad how well the child has responded. I know that all parents want to know how well their child is doing in class and, of course, teachers should be able to give them this information. But this transfer of information from the teacher to the parent is only half the story. What about the information parents can give teachers?

Student led conferences and ’round table discussions about progress in school’ do not allow parents space and time to share how they are trying to help their children learn, what they are doing to support their child’s education, and how family circumstances impact a child’s learning.

Only when teachers and parents can meet freely as equal partners in the education of children will children be able to benefit from the help they get in school and at home.

Making how schools report back to parents a little less rigid is helpful, but it does not address the issue of how parents and teachers can work together to help children learn. Parents and teachers are equally important in a child’s educational development. It is about time schools acted as though they believed this.

Now onto the second reason I am upset. This is to do with my lack of skill and experience and my feelings about being a ‘candle in the wind’. ( I am old enough to be a Dylan fan).

I know that teachers want to do their best for parents and the children in their school, and I also know that they need to find better ways to communicate with parents, ways that meet the needs of children. The problem is getting them to understand what those needs are and what they can do to help.

So, my New Year’s resolution is this – to find a way that I can help parents and teachers understand how to work together to help children learn.

I have absolutely no idea how I am going to do this. But that is part of the fun. If you have any suggestions please let me know – all ideas will be acknowledged.