The Gazette
April 13, 2011
Parents rock!
Re: “Review closings, EMSB urged” (Gazette, April 11).
Bravo to English Montreal School Board parent commissioners Angie Bertone and Gail Giannakas for new hope for parents worried about proposals on school closings, mergers and relocations. Add Linda Perez, head of the central parents’ committee, for taking the lead and demanding change to a flawed process.
It is the determination and perseverance of parents that will save schools. That’s the spirit of Bill 88, which is tilted in favour of more power to parents because they are generally apolitical.
Chris Eustace
Pierrefonds
Your Local Journal
August 14, 2014
Parental involvement in education
Dear Editor:
Soon over 20,000 students will either be entering or returning to schools of the Lester B. Pearson School Board.
These children, between the ages of 5 and 16, will spend only 15 per cent of their time in school. By next June, over 80 per cent would have done quite well and either graduate or be promoted.
That said, in 2006, the Scottish Government passed the Parental Involvement Act because there was a realization that parents play a vital role in their child’s education. The idea was to encourage parents to work closely with the school because they are the most important influences on their children’s lives.
The Bill was based on long-standing research pointing that parental involvement in a child’s education is a key factor in determining their success in life. The ‘Act’ states the decision-making process to be school-based, and education authorities “must” listen and “give proper responses” to the Parent Councils, which are Scotland’s version of our Governing Boards.
Closer to home, the Ontario government launched a “Parent Involvement Policy,” in 2010, that provides funding to schools to engage parents in the education of their children, and offers strategies for success. (parentinvolement.ca)
Evidence has shown that when parents get directly involved with their children’s education, students are more motivated and, consequently, gain higher marks. Moreover, to help combat the dropout rate, the best weapon to keep kids in school is, indeed, parental engagement.
Quebec has the highest dropout rate in Canada. The government should consider providing more tools and more money to schools, to involve parents, to help increase student success, and encourage our youth to stay in school.
This act would not only ensure more kids face a brighter future with the prospect of jobs, but also help the overburdened taxpayer supporting fewer people without jobs.
Chris Eustace
Pierrefonds
Take a glance: www.parentinvolvement.ca
