How Public Schools Really Work

Parry Graham

doi:10.5771/9781475867169

Summary

Since March of 2019, parents across the US have gained an unprecedented peek into their children’s schools and classrooms. In many cases, this has led to a newfound respect and appreciation for the hard work of teachers and administrators. But it has also raised important questions about the roles that parents can and should play in their children’s education.This book is a collection of insider information, not to help parents beat the system, but to help them work with the system—and to make sure the system works with them.Full of tips, strategies, resources, and real-life stories, this book will help any parent navigate the often confusing world of public schools. Whether you want to advocate for your child’s classroom experience, support your child when they get in trouble, or just help make a difference in your child’s school, this book will show you how.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2022
ISBN-Print: 978-1-4758-6714-5
ISBN-Online: 978-1-4758-6716-9
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 168
Product type: Book Titles

1. Dedication No access
2. Contents No access
3. Acknowledgments No access
4. Author page No access
5. 1. Organization of the Book No access
  2. Final Notes No access
1. 1. (1) Good Teachers Care No access
  2. (2) Good Teachers Are Organized No access
  3. (3) Good Teachers Set Big Goals for Their Kids and for Themselves No access
  4. (4) Good Teachers Provide Lots of Feedback No access
  5. (5) Good Teachers Have Deep Content Knowledge No access
  6. (6) Good Teachers Are With-It No access
  7. Taking Advantage of a Good Teacher No access
2. 1. Know Your Child No access
  2. Know the Teachers No access
  3. Provide Information, Not Requests No access
  4. Understand the Differences between Elementary, Middle, and High Schools No access
3. 1. Build a Good Relationship No access
  2. Learn about the Curriculum No access
  3. Monitor Your Child’s Progress No access
4. 1. Be Polite No access
  2. Seek to Understand No access
  3. Be Clear and Specific No access
  4. Use E-mail Carefully No access
  5. Don’t Get Your Child Involved No access
  6. Pick Your Battles No access
  7. Involve Administration as a Last Resort No access
5. 1. Personnel Practices in Public Education: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly No access
  2. What Parents Can Do about Ineffective Teachers No access
  3. Notes No access
1. 1. A Practical Example of a Disciplinary Incident No access
  2. How the School Discipline Process Works No access
  3. Note No access
2. 1. The Range of Disciplinary Consequences No access
  2. This Will (Most Likely Not) Go Down on Your Permanent Record No access
  3. Note No access
3. 1. Understand the Situation and the Concern No access
  2. Listen to Your Child No access
  3. Work with the Teacher No access
  4. Escalate when Necessary No access
4. 1. Understand the Facts and the Process No access
  2. Support Your Child and Work with the School No access
  3. Dealing with Especially Serious Situations No access
5. 1. You Think Your Child Is Innocent No access
  2. You Think the School Screwed Up the Process No access
  3. You Think the Consequences Are Excessive No access
6. 1. Your Child Is a Victim of Another Student’s Behavior, and the School Is Unaware No access
  2. Your Child Is a Victim of Another Student’s Behavior in a School-Investigated Situation No access
  3. Your Child Is the Victim of a School Staff Member’s Behavior No access
1. 1. Examples of What Adding Value Looks Like No access
  2. How to Find Opportunities to Add Value No access
  3. How to Make Your Contribution Truly Valuable No access
2. 1. Seek to Understand How the Current System Works No access
  2. Know What Is—and Isn’t—Your Lane No access
  3. Find and Make Allies No access
  4. Building Relationships with Influential Staff No access
  5. Figure Out Where You Draw the Line No access
1. Seeing the Qualities of Effective Teachers in Action No access
2. Spotting the Qualities of Effective Teachers No access
3. List of Phrases to Use in Describing Your Elementary-Age Child No access
4. Sample Letter about Child for Teacher Selection No access
1. Questions to Ask When Your Child Gets into Trouble with an Administrator No access
2. Questions to Ask the School in Significant Disciplinary Situations No access
1. Picking a Way to Get Involved in Your Child’s School No access