Natural EnemiesHow to improve the dreaded parent-teacher conference.
Posted Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007, at 6:55 PM ET
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StumbleUponTom Moore lets you in on what it's like to be a sixth-grade teacher in the South Bronx. Emily Bazelon argues that homework for elementary school students is not the way to encourage more parent involvement. Barry Schwartz explores the uber-dilemma of modern parenting: too many choices.
Mostly, though, parent-teacher conferences probably haven't changed to include kids because schools don't change much. The calendar, the length of the day, the basic units of instruction—none of it has been radically altered for generations, whatever the latest instructional trend. Making it a criminal offense to miss a conference would, of course, be a big change. Instead of putting one more ounce of energy into a law that would harm poor and immigrant parents, we could consider another way to shake up an old staid system that would actually improve it for everyone.
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