Don't Be Like Most Parents - Don't Leave Your Child's Education To Chance

By: Priest Jeffrey

• Most parents put way too much trust in the local school system to educate their children.  
• Most parents naively assume that the local school has their child's best interest in mind and are guiding them appropriately towards graduation.  Or, they leave it up to the child to maneuver through the complicated world of pre-requisites, graduation requirements, and college preparation.  Then they become shocked when their child does not graduate on time.
• Most parents are unaware of their local school's rating when it comes to graduation rates, and how well they prepare their students for college. 
• Most parents are unaware that there is a troubling trend of schools falling short on their obligations to educate their students.  The consequence is that children don't graduate on time because they were misguided as to what classes to take, or if they do graduate on time, they are not adequately prepared for college.
• Israelite Parents, please, Don't be like Most Parents...

Personal Story
My niece is a senior at Jane Adams High School in the Bronx, NY.  She is a fairly good student with aspirations of going to Howard University to study child psychology.  However, she is in danger of not graduating this year because she was ill advised by her principal as to what classes she needed to take in math in order to meet state standards.  What makes things worse, is that she is one of nearly 100 seniors, that are in danger of not graduating because they relied on the Principal's advice of what courses to take throughout their high school career.  The school, and the principal, is under investigation by the New York School Board, and is in danger of being shut down for having a consistent history of "failing it's students."  (more details of this story can be found at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/02/jane-addams-high-school-i_n_1126245.html)


Unfortunately, this story is not unique.  These students, mostly minority, are innocent victims that, due to no fault of their own, are starting life with a less then adequate education because they are attending schools that don't care about them.  The point is, this can be avoided, if parents are more actively involved in their child's education.  Parents, be aware of your child's school ratings in graduation and college/university preparedness.  Also, educate yourselves as to your state's/providence's graduation requirements, and ensure that your children are taking the correct classes that will allow them to graduate on time and be adequately prepared for college/university.  Start early, waiting till your child is a Junior or Senior is too late.  With just a little bit of oversight, you can ensure that your child is on the right track and avoid the nightmare of missed graduation dates.