SCHOOLS, STUDENTS NEED THE HELP OF PARENTS

When the word "reform" is uttered in any context (welfare, health care, tax ... take your pick), it is usually a prelude to finger-pointing. Nothing, it seems, gets done until some blame is assigned. As a result of the energy spent in this wasteful endeavor, little ever gets done in the way of reform. In the cause of education reform, we believe there are ample responsibilities and plenty of room for improvement. Let everyone bear their load and act in the best interests of the nation's young people.

Among those contributing to the national debate is an assembly known as the American Association of School Administrators, whose recent survey found parents giving good grades to local schools but frowning on U.S. education generally. (This phenomenon is not unfamiliar. Check, for example, the number of Americans who deride Congress while continuing to elect their home district representatives.) In a similar vein, parents surveyed by the association tended to blame other parents -- those who shunned involvement in their children's education -- as one of the problems facing public schools. It is a compelling argument.

Education Secretary Richard Riley appeals to parents regularly "to turn off the television set and spend more time" with their children. He parrots his boss on this point. In his State of the Union address, President Clinton said, "Parents who know their children's teachers and turn off the television and help with the homework and teach their kids right from wrong -- these kind of parents can make all the difference." But it is not happening often enough; pollsters say the top reason cited by parents for not getting involved is lack of time. Our world is increasingly difficult to manage, but make your own determination if the "lack of time" argument holds water.

To accommodate more involvement on the homefront, 44 percent of parents surveyed favored a homework hotline that would provide -- via telephone -- updated information about their child's assignments. In communities where this has been attempted, the hotline has been popular. Even if it is an unnecessary crutch, one that was technically unavailable in days before education reform became popularly sought, this might prove a useful tool if it facilitates parental involvement.

A number of people surveyed also pointed out -- correctly, we believe -- that the involvement of parents in their children's education aids in resolving discipline problems. However, an association spokesman insisted that the respondents' desire for more values-related education is thwarted by fear schools might violate constitutionally mandated separation of church and state and the rigid judicial application of this concept in recent years. Countered one surveyed parent, "The basic beliefs I think aren't even related to religion. I think honesty, respect for the law, hard work and ethics all are basic principles that the school doesn't have to take a political or religious agenda to reinforce." True enough. And while we agree that schools can probably find a means to support these virtues within a constitutional framework, it should be merely to nurture the foundation of ideas that are rightfully taught at home. Those who want their kids to do right shouldn't be waiting for the schools teach these things.

Some survey respondents voiced the idea that employers should be more "school friendly," allowing workers an hour off each month to volunteer in school. This is a grand idea that would surely increase the participation of many parents who feel bound by their workplaces to forgo voluntary activity. Of course, the grandness of this idea is limited by the possibilities that, 1.) there would be millions of hours of productivity lost each year; 2.) parents might not want to volunteer; 3.) schools might not need an influx of well-meaning volunteers trooping into classrooms; and, 4.) the federal government would adopt this idea as its own, create a costly mandate and contribute nothing to the betterment of education. This newspaper contributes in a great many ways to local schools, as do other companies here; all businesses are urged to. However, if a company chooses not to allow its workers time to volunteer for school activities, the employees can still serve the system best by merely reading with their child or pitching in with the homework.

No one group deserves full blame for faults seen in America's educational system. No one group can solve the problems alone. Schools must answer the call of making things better ... as must parents ... as must students.