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SOURCES OF INFORMATION

State department of Education

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Joint Memorial 25 requests the State Department of Education (SDE) to develop parent responsibility benchmarks that include a parental report card to measure the extent to which parents are responsible for providing a conductive environment for learning in their homes. The benchmarks shall address how parents will be involved in their child's school and home, with their child's homework and include what study times are best for their child at various grade levels. SDE is also requested to provide a mentoring program to assist parents in achieving the benchmarks.

Significant Issues

A recent survey provided by the SDE suggests that parents want guidance when it comes to assisting in their child's education in the home. The SDE reports that studies show when schools take the initiative to provide this type of guidance to parents, a student's performance is positively influenced in the classroom. Currently the SDE provides opportunities for parents to become more involved in their child's education and more skilled as parent-educators through programs such as Even Start Family Literacy, Reading Excellent Act and TANF School Age programs.

The SDE supports the intent of SJM 25, as well as the development of benchmarks by which parents can assist in their child's education, yet they have expressed concern over the requirement to establish a report card that would grade parents on their efforts. Accordingly, the SDE feels a report card to measure the extent to which parents are responsible in the home for providing a conducive environment for learning must address cultural and familial differences, and that these differences may be significant, thus making a generalized approach to a parental report card problematic. Conversely, the SDE argues that if they are to report findings that reflect the efforts of individual parents, the schools and the Department may not have authority to issue such a report.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

There would be fiscal implications insofar as the SDE would need to design and implement a new mentoring program to assist parents in achieving the benchmarks this memorial endorses. [The SDE has not estimated the potential cost for such an implementation.]

The SDE notes that schools participating in the federal Title I program may be able to use Title I funds to pay for activities related to some out-reach strategies. These activities include training for school staff on building partnerships with parents, translation of school information, arranging for teachers to conduct in-home conferences, and reducing or paying transportation and child-care costs so parents can participate in school related meetings and trainings.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The SDE would be required to convene key stakeholders and participants to develop the benchmarks and a mechanism to measure parental responsibility against the benchmarks.

RJM/njw