I often hear the reference to “parent leaders” in education. Like many terms and roles in education, it could mean different things in different districts.
In a previous post of mine (Where does a parent fit in effective change in education?), I asked a few questions about parent leaders:
“… if a parent is considered a “parent leader”, what can/should that mean? Are they only leading parents? Helping the voices and input of other parents? Does it mean they are focused on supporting changes in education or supporting “student success” (however that might be defined). Can these focuses be one and the same, or how are they different? And lastly, are parent leaders leading parents or ideas? If they are leading ideas or change, who can follow? Just parents, or other stakeholders? Who can benefit?”
It is not clear to me what defines a parent leader. Are they leaders if they are championing an organization’s goal or agenda? The “place” for parents in general is an on-going debate in education, and it may be that the place and role for parent leaders isn’t any clearer.
In some districts, parent engagement has also been extended to include the idea of choice, or as being a force in addressing low-performing schools. This is described as “parent trigger”. Larry Ferlazzo (@Larryferlazzo) has compiled a list of readings that help explain the drawbacks of ”parent trigger”. I also don’t see this as parent engagement, or that which requires parent leadership. I don’t think many parents are interested in such “taking over” or having a direct responsibility for school performance. However, I often wonder… if parents feel they don’t have a place for their voice and input, does this push the desire for more school choice? I do understand a parent feeling they have a right to their decisions regarding their child.
In my contact and interaction with parents (through organized groups as well as in my work with newcomer adults who are parents) the focus and need is mostly to understand and navigate the education system. Whether it is to understand how they can advocate for their own child and/or all students, it all has its place to me. They don’t always want parenting advice, which I reflected about here.
There are many parents who have spent much time supporting other parents with these kinds of questions and efforts. I invited a few to write guest posts on my blog here and here. I know that there are also many trustees who help parents in these ways as well. It can take a lot of time, patience, and commitment. But I think many parents and trustees continue to do it because they value parent voice in advocating for students, and they are willing to help bring more informed voices “to the table”. There is often talk about engaging the broader community, but it is often parents with children in school who are most motivated to advocate for change. Joe Bower (@Joe_Bower) recently blogged about how parents can take a role in change that can take on a different approach compared to other stakeholders.
There may be valid concerns about “volunteer” parents providing support and leadership for other parents, but what would be a better alternative? Parents often need to connect with other parents – they learn from each other too. Can trustees or hired parent engagement co-ordinators still provide the same rapport, support and leadership compared to volunteer parents or parent leaders? It is often said that it has to be “about” the students, but I still believe that there is support of parents by parents that does lead to good outcomes for students. How are engaged and passionate parents in education guided and included to be a part of solutions and problem-solving? What is appropriate?
How has a volunteer parent/leader been an asset to your school community or district, or to other parents who want to make a difference in a collaborative way with staff and stakeholders?
Sep 01, 2012 @ 19:40:59
Good points Sheila. My concern about “volunteer” parent leaders is they are often taken for granted. I have heard parents talk about a workshop they have given; how well the workshop was received and then comes the question “can you do that again for us at a principals’ meeting or convention or…” Does salary diminish the role of a parent leader? What do you think?
Sep 04, 2012 @ 22:01:05
what Ross said..
Sep 04, 2012 @ 15:35:51
Interesting questions. Over the years, I have found that ‘parent leadership’ equals exactly what the individual school principals and staff will allow. School councils and PICs are mandated but in our Board, and other across the province, parents who wish to ‘lead’ engagement often run up against barriers put in place by staff who are worried about partnering with them. It’s a shame because all parties have so much to bring to our education system.
Sep 04, 2012 @ 22:00:34
Well said, Nancy! I often worry about how our communities lose out if we don’t find ways to partner and work together…especially with those who are passionate volunteers in education.
Sep 04, 2012 @ 16:16:34
Hi Lorna,
Sheila asked if I would guest reply to your comment and question above. Here it goes:
I don’t really see payment for services changing the role of a parent leader because typically that never happens.
I’d shy away from any payment because then you really change your role from a parent stakeholder to a services to the board stakeholder.
Just as trustuee’s need to keep the right relationship to the board – the board does work for them in effect as they board is full accountable to the trustees, Parent’s need to keep the board as a whole accountable to them. The parents as proxies for the students are the ones receiving the education services of the board. Once a parent effectively becomes an agent of the board through payment for services renders, their role changes,.
It is no different than a trustee with a child in their education system or the minister of education – imagine being the teacher of the minister of ed’s children. That would be an interesting parent -teacher – child interview/meeting.
Now paid coaches, consultants, educators, facilitators etc are useful and valuable but they are accountable to the board for their services once payment starts to be exchanged.
I’d love to be paid my professional rate as a Strategy Consultant for all of my school/education system related activities but I would not be the same Parent Leader. I would be an agent of the board and as such would conduct myself accordingly. As an unpaid, parent volunteer I am an agent of the children and their parents and as such I conduct myself accordingly.
Regards,
Ross
What do I do ?
Co-Chair Upper Canada District School Board PIC
Co-Chair Beckwith Public School Parent Council
Chair Carleton Place High School Parent Council
Business Strategy Consultant, CGI
IT Guy
Photographer
Parent
Sep 04, 2012 @ 21:56:37
Thanks Ross – I had a feeling you had some good thoughts on this and could articulate many of mine! It’s a good thing many parents who do these roles find ways to connect with other parents for support and guidance….and within budget
Sep 04, 2012 @ 22:10:38
It’s neat to finish other people’s proverbial sentences.
Jan 23, 2013 @ 18:26:49
Hi Sheila,
You raise many salient points in this post. The issue of parent engagement is a worthwhile dilemma, IMO, and I appreciate your efforts in public dialogue. I’ve taken some time to study parents’ choices vis-a-vis schooling, and have a few insights on what I’ve come to more or less see as a problem without a solution.
Above, you write: “It is not clear to me what defines a parent leader.”
To begin, a parent’s interest is yolked to a particular child or children. By that reasoning, a ‘parent leader’ might be understood as a self-interested advocate who leads other self-interested advocates. A consequence of this is that – more often than not – parents’ advocacy in schools ends when their kid(s) graduate(s). Some take on a bigger agenda, but by and large I think it is fair to say that parents are often compelled by self-interest.
In “Captured by the discourse? Issues and concerns in researching ‘parental choice’”, Bowe, Gewirtz & Ball (http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1393349) argue that the “responsible parent” is one “who will display the characteristics of the ideal consumer”. In other words, the “responsible parent” is discerning, and shops for schools like they might shop for a new car, TV, or brick of cheese.
Elsewhere, in “On the cusp: parents choosing between state and private schools in the UK: Action within an economy of symbolic goods” (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1360311970010102), Ball suggests that “every family chooses schools inside the idiosyncratic framework of a local education market and within the limits and possibilities of their own specific spatial, time, social and financial horizons and family household arrangements.” He understands “choice-making” as “socially constructed”: “motives and desires, and criteria and perceptions, are all formed and steered within particular social networks and sets of social relationships. They are not free-floating; they are rooted in specific family histories, class ideologies and social and class communities.” More provocatively, he argues that for many parents the choice of a private school is simply a matter of “doing the best for their child” and carries “no concerns of principle or politics whatsoever.” A consequence of this is that “for many families … choice of school is a reinvestment or strategy of reconversion to conserve or enhance their class ranking[, and] the education market has become one of the most important loci of the class struggle.”
This theme of ‘parent choice as linked with classist inequalities’ is further elaborated in “School choice, social class and distinction: The realization of social advantage in education” (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0268093960110105), where Ball et al categorically insist that “choice in education is systematically related to social class differences and the reproduction of class inequalities.”
With that said, I should clarify that I’d like to contextualize – not trivialize – the importance of parents’ choices. That is, I believe that parents have critical roles to play in the process of schooling. However, I would suggest that there are strong reasons for seeing parents as better /allies for/ than /leaders of/ ed policies.
Regards,
Tobey
Jan 26, 2013 @ 18:59:48
Thanks, Tobey. I understand what you are saying. I often see parents who are only able and interested in advocacy for their own child. I am not sure it that is always “self-interest”, but I get what you mean about the focus and intent and limitations regarding policy. Yet so many are not able to advocate efffectively and/or do not have choices available. We can’t assume that parent participation is always going to be about asserting choice agendas either.
I just finished a new post and included some findings from this survey on parent communication preferences:
http://www.nspra.org/files/newsletter/counselor/counselor2011-08-23.html
There was one part that made me think of your reply. I will include the whole bullet point here:
“At the school level, parents’ top choices focused on curriculum and educational changes and updates, as well as descriptions of what is being taught. Operational information on schedules, dates, etc., were naturally high on the list, along with information on how the school is performing to others in the district, as well as with neighboring school districts. With all the news about charter schools and other options, only about a quarter of respondents sought more information about these alternative programs.”
I thought that last line was interesting. Yet there was a desire to compare performance of other schools, which doesn’t sit well with me
Thanks for the links… I will explore and think on them some more.