New school year: Let's hope open house attendance reflects interest

Several local high schools reported more parents than ever came out to meet their children's teachers and to see just what they will be doing when school opens next week.

And rather than being something to complain about, school officials said the news was actually a hopeful sign -- that more parents than ever are keeping an eye on their children's education.

And now that there has been such a good beginning, it is important that there not be a letdown and that interest in what students are learning and achieving in Wayne County continues to increase.

The truth is that even with all the money in the world and a united school board and county commission, without parents who care and teachers and other staff willing to do the hard work, a school district has no hope of succeeding.

If parents and teachers as well as administrators can join forces and create an immovable force when it comes to demanding children take their classwork seriously, test scores have nowhere to go but up.

And getting parents to take the time to come to open houses and to communicate with teachers is the first step.

But it is not the only step.

The time to make a stand for better education for the county's children is now -- and throughout the year. Now that the groundwork has been laid for a partnership between home and school, it should not be discarded as the school year progresses.

So parents need to stay active, interested and involved if they want to see their children and their schools succeed.

The open house attendance numbers show that there is a renewed interest. Now all this county has to do is keep it going. And if that happens, there are no limits to what can be achieved.

Published in Editorials on August 21, 2008 11:21 AM