Are parents the remedy for failing schools?
Lawmakers in California think so. A controversial "parent trigger" law was passed in January to give parents in the golden state control over consistently low-performing schools. According to Take Part:
Under the provision, if 51 percent of parents at any given school sign a petition, they can trigger a transformation of the school: inviting in a charter operator, forcing administrative changes, or shuttering the school altogether.
Parents can trigger a petition if a school fails to make "adequate yearly progress" toward improving test scores for four consecutive years. According to The Wall Street Journal, 1,300 California schools fit that criteria.
California teachers unions are up in arms over the legislation, calling it a "lynch mob provision." But the group that initiated the legislation, Parent Revolution, argues that parents are distinctly out for the students, not the adults in power.
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Similar laws are expected to be implemented in five states -- New Jersey, West Virginia, Michigan, Indiana and Georgia -- according to the Journal.
Are parents the answer for school reform? Weigh in: