Do report cards reflect teaching or parenting?

There was a time when how well a child did in school was not only directly related to the quality of instruction, but also held parents responsible. In what may be a bygone era, parents didn’t wash their hands of their responsibility for their child’s performance in school. Those parents refused to shift the onus to the teacher whose day was filled with trying to elicit the best from ~ 20 to even 30 other students. It was a partnership in which parents held teachers in high esteem and made sure their children respected the importance of learning, and teachers honored the parents’ commitment by providing receptive students with the tools for success.

Admittedly in my family, both parents were in the school system — Dad as a teacher then superintendent, and Mom as a teacher — so they were lockstep with the goals, policies and expected results in the classroom.

But over the years, many parents came to expect teachers to work miracles and assume all responsibilities for how well students fared when report cards were handed out, while parents chose to ignore their own role in the education process to ensure a willing and motivated student.

Today’s State Department of Education seems to reinforce that mindset.

After public school report cards were released this spring, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has championed an overhaul of the school evaluation system, which gives a letter grade for each public school in the state.

When the report cards were released in April, most schools were left wanting. Sequoyah County schools were not exempt, although Muldrow, Moffett and Liberty schools received overall grades of B, the highest marks in the county.

Of the 25 county schools, 19 received overall grades of Cs and Ds.

In arriving at the overall grades, high schools were evaluated in five categories: Academic achievement, graduation, English language proficiency progress, chronic absenteeism and postsecondary opportunities. Middle schools and elementary schools were graded in academic achievement, academic growth, English language proficiency progress and chronic absenteeism.

With the exception of all Muldrow schools and Vian Middle School where kids apparently love to go to school, grades for county schools for chronic absenteeism were generally abysmal. This was also the case for most other schools in the state.

That’s why there’s pushback on the state level, and apparently within the state Legislature, to eliminate chronic absenteeism from the annual school report cards, a snapshot evaluation introduced by former Superintendent Joy Hofmeister.

Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, who was a school principal at Ada before being elected to office, is quick to defend the job teachers are doing, but would prefer to do away with chronic absenteeism as a data point, claiming that getting students to the classroom is not a school’s responsibility.

Generally speaking, Johns is right. While the school must provide an environment conducive to learning and teachers who are committed to getting the most out of their students, it’s actually the responsibility of the parents to make sure their children are prepared — and properly motivated — to learn and ensure that they make it to the classroom. To be sure, learning begins in the home.

Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, wants to agree, admitting that students have to be in their classroom seat to learn, but counters with the expectation that report cards measure how effective schools are at educating.

Fair enough, but when parents choose not to reinforce the importance of education, which is a direct result of attendance, the job of teachers is even harder.

While legislators are quick to criticize the current system and Walters’ office can’t wait to reform the process so that all schools look better on his watch, until parents take education seriously and take responsibility for ensuring their children attend school and give it their best, schools throughout the state must attempt to overcome a barrier to excellence that won’t be attainable without reinforcement on the home front.

Because both my parents were in education, I grew up knowing nothing different than being in school every day possible, doing my best and doing whatever it took to ensure when report cards came out, my parents and I were both proud of the outcome. It wasn’t enough to achieve. I held myself to a standard of overachieving, delighting in the scorn from classmates when I was the one who often set the curve, especially in college. My children were the same way, and so are their children. My wife had perfect attendance from first grade through high school, and finished her college education in three years before reaching the heights of her profession. Her oldest daughter earned her MBA and quickly rose through the ranks as an accountant and auditor, while her husband is a college professor and their children are honor students. And my youngest stepdaughter is a bank vice president.

School is not easy for everyone. But without the encouragement, commitment and reinforcement at home, excellence in the classroom can be difficult even for those with potential that may remain untapped if not given every opportunity to learn and succeed.