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Senate Passes Rhoades Measure to Strengthen Parental Involvement
in Schools
HARRISBURG -- The
state Senate passed an important measure authored by Senator James J. Rhoades
(R-29), that establishes parent involvement programs, parent involvement
policies and parent involvement committees in each of Pennsylvania’s school
districts.
Senate Bill 143 overwhelmingly
passed the Senate late this afternoon.
“As Chairman of the Senate
Education Committee, I have worked to address the concerns parents have for
their children in our schools today,” said Rhoades. "Parental and family
involvement is one issue that has been on the forefront of many community
agendas across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
The federal No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 creates a new system of academic accountability for all
states and school districts. As part of its design, the new law places a
premium on parent involvement and encourages school districts to more actively
involve parents in the education of their children.
The senator said that Senate
Bill 143 provides guidance to school districts in this regard, by directing
school districts to create parent involvement programs, policies and committees.
In addition, the legislation would direct the Department of Education to
establish a clearinghouse of information related to strategies, resources and
materials that can be used as part of parent involvement programs and policies.
Rhoades cited research that
confirms that family involvement is a powerful influence on a child’s
achievement and performance in school. If every parent of a child aged 1
through 9 spent one hour reading or working on schoolwork with his or her child
five days a week, American parents would annually devote at least 8.7 billion
hours to support their children’s learning.
Statistics have also shown that
many schools that make parental involvement a priority also see student outcomes
improve. When families actively participate in a child’s education, a child
typically earns higher grades, attends school on a regular basis and generally
demonstrates a more positive attitude than those students who do not have family
support.
“Family involvement can have a
significant effect on student achievement. We must assess family’s needs and
set clear and measurable objectives based on parent and community input,” said
Rhoades. “Together, we can build a program that emphasizes parents getting
involved in their child’s education, and providing our local schools with the
resources necessary to achieve this goal.”
The measure now goes to the
House of Representatives for consideration.
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