Increasing Parental Involvement, Improving Public Schools
One of the original goals of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was to focus on closing the achievement gap particularly among at-risk children (children of color, low-income children, and English language learners). The theory is that providing parents with better information about student performance and school performance will result in parents taking action to improve the educational outcomes of their children. By providing parents with options, such as input into the development of school improvement plans, supplemental educational services and public school choice, they can help improve the quality of the schools that their children attend.
How Washington Appleseed is Helping
Washington Appleseed collaborated with the national Appleseed Foundation and the law firms of DLA Piper and Holland & Knight to undertake a study of school districts in five states concerning the parental involvement requirements of NCLB and how they affect student performance, as well as parental opportunities for action to improve student performance, with special emphasis on students and families most in need.
Appleseed also worked with community and parent groups to determine what impact the law has already had on their participation in their children's education and how they can use the law to improve educational outcomes in the future.
Publications
Download a free copy of It Takes a Parent: Transforming Education in the Wake of No Child Left Behind.
Pro Bono and Community Partners
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Columbia Teachers College
Thank you to our pro bono volunteers: Arthur Coleman, Amy Starzynski, Steven Winnick and Cecily Baskir.