children. Some governors are saying we need more standardized tests to resolve the student achievement gap. Parent involvement is an alternative that costs fewer dollars to implement. The resources that are allocated for testing could be spent to increase the number of parent leaders who are in the schools. Some schools are finding ways to get parent’s involved in the daily activities of their schools. Parents who are involved can learn about instruction methods that other parents can use in the home. They are the catalyst to get parents who are not involved to volunteer for special projects. Parents sometimes reflect on the bad experiences that they had when they were in K12 schools. Student achievement can be raised when parents know that their active participation will make a difference in their child’s learning capacity. Some parents are looking at their child’s achievement level to see if there are any differences. They need to know more about the benefits of looking at the value of education from a different perspective. Some parents do not know what a good education looks like. School administrators and teachers must continually advocate for increased communication with parents. Parents need more information about how K12 education is changing. Most parents are not aware of the financial challenges that school systems are facing. Many schools are underfunded when compared to school districts within their own states. Parents can play a role in encouraging their local legislators to get involved in changing their states school funding formula. Parents should invite the legislators to visit schools and to witness so that they can witness the challenges that they are facing. It is easy to intact a policy that defunds schools when you make assumptions that money is getting wasted. Parents need to partner with schools in order to help with specific resources that their child’s school requires. The United States is steadily slipping in terms of its edge in graduating students from high schools, trade schools, and colleges. Starting a national campaign to help parents to understand their role in student achievement is a solution whose time has come. New and innovative organizations
are needed. These organizations must take into account the changing trends in family structures. Parents are looking for solutions to the achievement gap. The solution lays in a combination of community and K12 schools working toward alternative education activities which are easily implemented in the home. Some parents are raising the bar on their expectations for their student. They are often interested in identifying resources that will prepare their child for college. They participate in after school and weekend programs right along with their child. They sign up because of their belief that their program will serve as a link between high school and post-secondary education. Today is the day to get involved and make a difference in your local school. Parents are the key to a successful school and their child’s future career opportunities. Dr. Stephen Jones is and education advocate and an author of the Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide. Get your copy http://www.DrStephenJones . You can join his newsletter at http://bit.ly/1sVyCzs . The Presence of the SEC in the AP continued from page 46
Football in the South is more than just a past time. Take me as an example. Can you seriously imagine my stress on Saturdays? Oddly, I have been counting down the days until I get to wear multiple team colors. This conference is loaded with powerhouse teams and exciting matchups that I am most definitely looking forward to. Regardless of who ultimately wins the SEC East, West, and Conference titles, the SEC’s dominance in the AP poll should not be ignored. The depth and presence of the Southeastern Conference in the rankings has proven that, despite the playoff elimination last season and failure to claim the rights to the National Championship, we are indeed back with a vengeance. Immersive Tech Teacher continued from page 51
program, IMT French, which will be taught by a veteran French teacher, Alisha Hadley. Students in the IMT French program will be learning and contributing in oral and written French in our French Language World within 3DU. Students will be expected to tour and interact within a virtual 2km squared lot that is rich with French language content, French speaking non-playing characters (NPC) Continue on page 53