Accountability for parents/guardians
Parents, guardians, extended family members, and adults who care share a responsibility to hold students accountable for applying themselves to the business of learning. Recommendation 12— Partnerships, includes several discussions about how middle grades educators can help parents learn to support their young adolescents as they make the transition from childhood to puberty.
One strategy that many middle schools have employed is to develop a parent compact or parent contract. These documents are short and outline the key expectations that parents will uphold during the school year, including the agreement to:
- Make daily school attendance a family priority.
- Check on completion of homework assignments each day.
- Turn off the television, music devices, or cell phones if the student has not completed homework.
- Discuss teacher comments on student assignments and grade reports.
- Set student learning goals based on grade reports and assignments.
- Set expectations for student behavior at school.
- Attend parent conferences.
Parents/guardians sign the compact or contract, which helps them to remember the responsibility they share for student success. If a student is having difficulties at school, the contract is a good starting point for discussions about how to help the student get back on track for success.
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