Florida Representative Kelli Stargel Introduces Bill: Teachers Should Grade Parents, Too

As lawmakers continue to debate education reform, Florida Rep. Kelli Stargel has a new idea: give teachers a break and grade parents instead.

Stargel has submitted a bill that would let teachers grade parent performance along with student outcomes, reports CNN.

Stargel said that parents should be just as involved in the education process as the students themselves.

"We have student accountability, we have teacher accountability, and we have administration accountability. This was the missing link, which was, look at the parent and making sure the parents are held accountable."

The bill would give the option of grading parents as "satisfactory," "unsatisfactory" or "needs improvement."

Some teachers are skeptical of its effectiveness and dismayed at the thought of more paperwork. Others, like Theresa Hill, a kindergarten teacher in Orlando, Fla., told CNN that she supported the idea.

"I think it would be the best scenario, if parents could be made responsible... We have them only so many hours. The first lessons come from home."

WATCH:

Quick Poll

How would you grade this strategy?

Satisfactory. Parents are just as responsible for their child's success!

Unsatisfactory. The teacher is teaching the child, not the parent!

Needs improvement. Good idea, but I feel like this can be done in a more effective way.

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[Susan Shaffer]

01:40 AM on 02/06/2011

There was a boy in my daughter's class who knew how to press her buttons. By coincidence his family moved into our apartment complex. my son became friends with him and at age 5 all you need to do is ride your bike up and down and you are best friends.
the boy did not perform well in kindergarten. there were a series of episodes that brought the child to the attention of the school counsellor. 1. he would sit under the table while the teacher was trying to teach. 2. he went to the attached bathroom and took off all his clothes and came out naked
additionally at our home he would throw stones at my son in spite of being friends. my daughter got fed up and refused to play with him. I told him he couldn't play with my kids if he continued to throw stones. things were very tense for a while there.
the school counselor referred the family to a psychiatric hospital that specialised in children.
since i had quite a bit of time with the family i could see what was going on more clearly than others. 1. the mother went out and left her son playing with my son. (father also absent) I had made plans that we were going out that day and i had to ring the police to take the child

[Susan Shaffer]

01:40 AM on 02/06/2011

2. this happened a second time when the father left the child alone watching a video while he went with his friend. (mother also absent) the kid was lonely and he called out to my son. again I called the police. the father said that he was just walking his friend to the corner and was talking to him. I argued that he could have let his son ride his bike while they walked along the path.

[Susan Shaffer]

01:39 AM on 02/06/2011

I know that this family is struggling to make ends meet. there is a level of stress all the time.
I offered to take their son to little athletics but the father declined. perhaps he couldn't afford the $30 for the season. when i would take the kids on friday nights then this child would call out "what about me"
the mother is thai and cannot help her son with english. i asked her if she can count up to 100 in english. she said yes. I said then that she can make her son the best boy in arithmetic in kindergarten. I printed both alphabet and number sheets for them to help their son. only the mother worked on it.
I can see the argument for the teachers grading the parents but i think that you need to engage more social skills. this family was to go into a special house for over a week so that the psychologists and counsellors could see the family dynamics.
I felt this couple didn't have time to look after these kids and i wonder if they really wanted him either.

[zsu262]

06:34 AM on 02/02/2011

Sad to say this, but if the parent does not care about the childs grades, I don't see where they will care about their grade.

[Ryosuke91t]

10:53 PM on 01/31/2011

Ever seen a video of a multi-culti class watching the Civil Rights news footage and the discussion that follows?

The ideas kids come to school with need at the very least thorough explanation, at most complete re-education.

[Spank05]

06:22 PM on 01/31/2011

Until someone can explain what happens if a parents gets graded poorly I can't see the point of this.

[JoliAvocat]

03:44 AM on 01/30/2011

I have watched several trends in my 60 years of living and raising my own kids. One was parents expecting teachers to raise their children and instill things in their kids THEY should have. That failed miserably because teachers were sued when they tried to punish out of control kids. I think we should grade parents. Trouble is, I know far more bad parents than bad teachers and it would start a war. I've been seeing more and more alarmingly bad parents. A great example is the mother of the 12 year old in my neighborhood that was actually seen egging a home-a very nice home at that. Mom said he couldn't have, he was with friends elsewhere. She said she counts her eggs and none were missing. Nice, huh? The police officer was STUNNED any parent would lie and in such a stupid way right in front of the kid. The mother in this case calls him "dude" and acts his age. She openly lies over and over and he's caught on that lying is just fine. Her other son, just turned 20, was just convicted of dealing heroin.

[Ryosuke91t]

10:46 PM on 01/31/2011

teachers get to spend more learning ours with students.
Plus, generally as a policy most teachers tell the students that they can be trusted to be talked to and asked questions of in private.

[Lisa Shields]

01:06 AM on 01/30/2011

I've had parents contact me for help with special needs advocacy...and frankly, my experience has made me wonder if "grading the parents" doesn't have some merit.

If I may explain...some parents resist classifying their children at all. Many are angry about the situation, and put off getting help for their children for far too long. I've gotten calls just a few months shy of a kid's high school graduation...long after the system can be of any possible use. They may not be bad people...or even bad parents...but they need something to make them focus, not on fear, or stigma---but what their children actually need.

I suspect the parents of "average" children are no different. We've had a generation of two income families, not to mention single parent homes that work hard to keep things together. It doesn't leave much time for checking homework, or meeting with teachers. (Not an accusation, just an observation.)

Since I became a mother, I constantly try to "check my performance"...no one is perfect. I did not discover that my own child had special needs till she was ten...and once I did, finding the right fit for her educational needs was a challenge. I couldn't afford to parent "part time". And honestly, no one can.

Kids need more...not less, especially today.
If "grading us" serves as a reminder, I'm good with that.

[JoliAvocat]

03:48 AM on 01/30/2011

What kids need is boundaries and rules. And then consequences when they flip them off. This era of no consequences is why we have such out of control children that will grow into out of control adults. Be a parent, not a friend. Kids learn to respect authority and even enjoy knowing someone cares enough to guide them. There isn't anything wrong with being a parent to your child.

[Susan Shaffer]

02:56 PM on 02/07/2011

i think you can be a parent and a friend.
the parent sets boundaries and the laws of the household and general behaviour
the friend does sports activities etc with their kids.
my husband is away a lot due to business, my son loves to help me put together things like ikea furniture, regrout the bathroom.
the kids take singing lessons and we sing along to youtube songs
we play golf (rather poorly) together

[imagine21]

04:23 PM on 01/29/2011

As a teacher, I graded the parent once. At a meeting with the counselor, parent and three teachers in attendance, this particular parent told me that her son didn't need to learn the 50 States because "he was going to be a pro-football player." Well, I got up, walked out without saying anything even though the counselor tried to get me to come back and when the semester was over I awarded the student an "F-". When the school's administration questioned me about the grade, I replied "the "F" is for the kid and the minus for the mother. You are welcome to tell her that when she calls to complain." Needless to say, the kid never graduated from high school let alone played in the NFL. If I am taking the time to meet with the parent, after my contractual school day, then I expect to have an actual discussion about what we can do together to help the student succeed. If parents can't meet me there, then there is nothing to talk about.

[flymonkey]

07:20 PM on 01/31/2011

i guess you showed her - brother

[zsu262]

06:30 AM on 02/02/2011

Good for you, bet the parent never even questioned it.

[gratefulpezhead]

04:21 PM on 01/29/2011

They already critique us without our asking, now someone wants to make it official? And about the teachers being accountable...I have not witnessed that in our district. Teachers do whatever they want and have tenure, complain all the time, more days off than god, pensions, many other benefits including 20 grand for a first house purchase & good health care.

[Amy Rollins]

05:57 PM on 01/30/2011

God gets vacations? Huh.

[gratefulpezhead]

01:18 PM on 02/03/2011

yeah

[notateamplayer]

03:42 PM on 01/29/2011

The teacher-parent relationship can be fraught enough without bringing this into it.

[kinger50]

11:04 AM on 01/29/2011

It is easy to say what parents "shoulda, coulda, oughta" do. No parent or teacher for that matter walks into school saying, "I think I will do a lousy job today." As some have posted parents need to do their best to feed and cloth their children and get them medical care as needed and not send them to school sick. Next, if the parents have an education they need to help the student with homework etc. If they are uneducated or for whatever reason don't understand the school work they need to let the school know so the student can bet the required help at school. Manners are very useful in the classroom as well.

[h3ll0mktg]

12:46 AM on 01/29/2011

I think I'd like to see the kiddos given a set of criteria, and have them grade the parents, cool isn't it? Okay, so I'm not in school anymore, and maybe I can peel copious rubber to make my getaway from me mean little Mama now days, I'd still find it interesting

[JoliAvocat]

03:50 AM on 01/30/2011

Lots of us parents would like to grade our grown up kids as well. I guess that makes us even, wink wink....

[Mikdow]

03:33 PM on 01/28/2011

I was a teacher's kid at my mom's school. I was the lowest of the low as far as my peers were concerned. My mother didn't know how to handle it either. I spent 7th through 9th grades in the unenviable position of having no parent to advocate for me because it wouldn't be fair to the other kids, and because if it was a Daniel Webster Junior High School issue, my dad stayed out of it.

If we start making parents accountable to teachers, every kid will be in the position I was in, and their parents may be powerless to do anything for them.

[Bruisersmom]

02:57 PM on 01/28/2011

Mostly what teachers need parents to do are the following:
1. Make sure the kids get at least 8 hours sleep a night and breakfast. We can't teach them if they can't stay awake.
2. Are taught to sit in a seat. That way we have more time to teach them because we're not chasing them all over the room.
3. Are taught to be respectful of adults and other students. That's a big one!
4. To take directions without debating them or feeling the need to "express their opinion" about them. That's another big one!
5. Make sure to keep up with what their student is doing in school. A lot of schools have online profiles for each student that shows a child's grades, class attendance­, etc. If you don't have the log in informatio­n, call the office. Especially­, do this if your child comes home everyday and says s/he doesn't have homework. Can't tell you how many students who have D's and F's tell their parents that one!
6. Don't wait until the end of the semester to bring up problems. Can't tell you how many parents of students who have D's and F's wait until the last three weeks of the semester to call the teacher about their son's/daug­hter's grade.
7. Call back the teacher. Teachers in California have over 150 students each at the high school level. They're swamped! So, if they're taking the time out to call you, it's important.

[Roy Robson]

03:48 PM on 01/28/2011

Are you crazy, and stiffel little Johnnys creativety,. And the teacher gets paid to raise my child 8 hours a day during the school year...

But you are right on every count....

[SirReal1]

01:52 AM on 01/29/2011

My Niece is a Teacher in Arizona and I've heard some of the horror stories. I understand what the challenges are, and I understand the problems that some parents present, but seriously, your list creates many problems of its own.

1. Do you understand the challenges that a large number of parents face? Many families (single parent or not) do not have an adult in the home when the kids go to bed or when they wake up (some don't have an adult at home at either time). People are working (or in California, going to or from work) during those hours. Some are working a second job in order to put food on the table and clothes on their children. Children have nearly "boundless" energy reserves if they are properly engaged. If your students are falling asleep, it may be the material they are being presented, or the presentation itself, that is putting them to sleep.
2. Sitting in a seat is not a huge task to teach. Staying in a seat when you are "bored", "distracted", or inclined to do otherwise, is a difficulty. If you are "chasing" your students "all over the room", you've lost control of your classroom. Parents can't help you there.
3. Most kids are "taught to be respectful" of authority. I don't know of too many parents who don't teach their kids that. What they are not taught is to be "respectful" of those who do not show them respect.

[zsu262]

08:47 AM on 02/04/2011

@ your #3... I don't think so... Most of the parents I deal with on a daily basis don't have any respect for anything, even themselves, and trust me, the apple never falls far from the tree.