The hot-button parent-trigger proposal, the one that would have allowed parents to convert some low-performing public schools into charter schools, didn’t pass this Legislative session. It failed on a 20-20 vote. But it will be back, especially if Jeb Bush has anything to say about it, which he will. His Foundation for Florida’s Future was a strong advocate for the proposal, and Bush even penned op-ed pieces that exhorted “moms and dads” to get involved and appeared in major newspapers around the state.
Among the former governor’s key references is the California model where parents have successfully negotiated “as equals with the school district,” he wrote. This strikes a populist chord and reminds parents that their direct involvement can make a difference in their kids’ quality of education. Of course it can.
But “equals” is a loaded word. No one, of course, is in favor of inequality. But does giving birth and raising a child equate to equal status with professional educators? Vested interest is not a synonym for professional judgment. Many parents, in fact, are not experts in child-rearing either.
As stakeholders, parents have a duty to be on board and an obligation to be involved in their kids’ education. But they are not “equals” with professional educators.