Ask business leaders what their biggest concern is, and often they will tell you about their concern for Schools and the kids coming out of High School. Unless you have lived in a cave for the last 20 years, you know that Schools are having a tough time. Being on a School Board for 7 years gave me some insight into the problems, and I have some ideas on how to fix the problems.

In my view, we don’t have a problem with teachers, we have a problem with parents (or lack of) and families.

Recently there has been talk about what School Districts can do to close the “achievement gap”. Rather than wait for a solution to magically happen, I have a few tips for people who want to see their kids close the achievement gap:

1.Get kids to school. Parents, this is your job. Schools can’t help kids that are not there. The schools cannot get your child up, and to school every day. The so called achievement gap shows up when kids don’t go to school (usually).
2.Get your kids to school on time Parents, this is your job – again. Schools should not and can not make wake up calls. Oh yes, and get them to bed on time.
3.Teach your child to behave. Asking a teacher to teach proper behavior severely cuts into teaching subject matter. No learning gap will be closed while teachers are busy attending to kids who don’t behave.
4.Feed your kids in the morning. A bowl of cereal, milk, and fruit costs less than $10 per week. Feed them, close the “gap”.
5.Parents, care about your child’s education. The schools and teachers will often bend over backwards to help those who care and are trying. However, if the child and parent do not care, a teacher is going to have a very hard time. Show up at conferences. Check assignments.
6.Parents, check your kids homework assignments. At a minimum, make sure that they have assignments (and they do) and that they are done. A child that does not do homework will never close the “gap”.
7.Turn off the TV. A kid now spends more time in front of a TV than they do in a school. If you can’t turn it off, get rid of it. TV never will close the “gap”.
8.Have dinner with your kids, ask them about the school day. Demonstrate that you care about their education.
9.Read to them starting at a young age. Have them read to you when they can. Instead of TV have them read. Close the gap, READ.
10.Don’t count on the schools to do your job. The Schools can help but they can’t do it all. Schools only have kids for about 14% of the entire year. What do your kids do with the other 86%? How is that schools only have kids for 14% of the year, and they get blamed for an achievement gap??

Schools cannot by law act as parents (or guardians). If parents can’t do the job, how can we expect the Schools to do it for them? Closing the achievement gap begins at home, not at school.

Gary Seidel
Former School Board Member
President, Point ONE Commercial Real Estate