In a perfect world, parents and educators would always be in accord over instructional techniques and materials. In the real world, however, some parents and educators find themselves at loggerheads over classroom practice, with parents determined to protect their children from practices they consider harmful and educators equally determined to defend their professional judgment.
Consider some typical examples:
- A parent objects to an English teacher's choice of a book that contains racial epithets; the teacher counters that the book is a recognized classic.
- An elementary teacher's use of whole language techniques alarms a parent, who believes a phonics-based approach would be far more effective. The teacher, however, is committed to whole language principles.
- A parent insists that a biology teacher stop using cooperative groups in her classroom, because he believes they exploit bright students; the teacher flatly refuses.
- A small group of parents object to the school's promoting the concept of "tolerance," which they believe endorses moral relativism. Teachers strongly disagree, defending tolerance as a civic virtue.
When conflicts such as these arise, how can they be resolved in a way that respects the rights of all concerned?
It's not surprising that parents' wishes and educators' professional judgments sometimes clash, experts say. "There's an inherent contradiction in democratic school systems," notes Charles Haynes of the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University: Educators are supposed to be the experts at teaching children, but the community as a whole determines what should take place in schools. This contradiction can be frustrating for teachers when they hear some parents saying, "Let's go back to the 1950s." But the cure, Haynes contends, lies not in clamping down on dissent but in fostering more democracy. The more parents are involved in decisions affecting the school, the more support educators will ultimately get from the community, he believes.
Forest Montgomery of the National Association of Evangelicals agrees, adding that parent involvement should be invited before problems arise. Too often, he says, a change in curriculum or instruction is "presented as a fait accompli to the parent." If the school wants to do something new, Montgomery says, it should provide opportunities for parents to learn "the whys and wherefores." Educators should avoid projecting the attitude: "We're the experts—we expect you to accept this."
National education leaders are finally beginning to focus on parents' concerns, says Robert Simonds, president of Citizens for Excellence in Education, a group composed of conservative Christian parents. To resolve parent-school conflicts, Simonds says, both sides must define their terms and really "listen for positives on the other side" to find common ground.
For years, schools have "coasted along" without worrying much about community reaction, says Fritz Detwiler, a professor of religion and philosophy at Adrian College. As educators have become more professional, parents have been gradually removed from decision-making processes, he believes. As a result, parents have felt "unneeded and unwelcome" in schools. But when schools invite broad community involvement, the criticisms of a vocal minority have less impact, Detwiler says.
Community involvement must be cultivated, however. "What usually happens is that educators put out calls [for input], and no one shows," Detwiler notes. But if educators actively recruit from stakeholder groups, participation will eventually increase, he says. Bringing people in is "a major burden," Detwiler concedes, but in the long run "it will really pay off." However, educators need to accept that involving the community could mean that "some pet ideas of educators might be modified."
Advice for Teachers
When teachers receive complaints from parents about their practice, how should they respond? Detwiler advises teachers to be courteous and to make parents feel welcome. Before defending their practice, teachers should try to get as deep an understanding of the parent's concerns as possible: the exact nature of the complaint, the dangers the parent sees, and the assumptions guiding what the parent wants instead.
Then, if the parent is receptive, teachers should explain their rationale for using the technique or materials in question, avoiding jargon "at all costs," Detwiler says. Teachers might point out where a technique is used in real life—cooperative learning in the workplace, for example. "Sometimes that relieves fears," he says. If the parent remains dissatisfied, the teacher should arrange for him or her to meet with other school officials.
Ideally, teachers should know school policies on opt-out provisions, academic freedom, materials selection, Board protocol, and instructional hearings, Detwiler says, so they don't promise the parent something they can't deliver. School administrators need to provide inservice training on such policies, so teachers are not caught off guard, he says. "Clearly articulated policies the teacher can show to parents" are helpful, he adds.
The secret of resolving conflicts over classroom practice is to “get away from arguments about who's right or wrong,” says Stephen Bates, a senior fellow at the Annenberg Washington Program. In Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Education (see box), Bates offers advice for educators to help them better manage conflicts over books and other curriculum materials:
- Solicit community input before books are chosen. When dealing with a controversial topic, consider forming an advisory committee that reflects a wide range of community views.
- Develop a written procedure for dealing with complaints.
- If a protest does arise, focus on how the public participated in the book selection, what's in the book, and how it's used in the classroom. Don't expect protesters to be swayed by a book's pedigree or by your own expertise.
- Keep in mind that the curriculum must reflect the beliefs of experts, yet it must also reflect the will of the community. Acknowledge the protesters' right to complain, and respond to their arguments on the merits; don't just call them "censors" or "zealots."
- Recognize that context doesn't erase all offenses. For instance, some parents think children shouldn't be exposed to racial epithets or profanity, even in a classic book.
- Remember the civic obligation to respect freedoms of belief, speech, and religion. Remember, too, that students learn about American liberties by seeing how school officials deal with dissent.
In practice, educators resolve many parents' concerns by arranging for their children to "opt out" of a small portion of the curriculum or by letting them read an alternative book. When parents are seeking an alternative assignment, don't try to rebut their views, Bates advises. Rather, focus on whether an alternative is feasible, both administratively and pedagogically. Although church-state separation is an issue if parents want sectarian material in the classroom, it is not an issue if they want an alternative assignment, no matter what their motivation, he adds.
Allowing parents to opt out of reforms they dislike is a good but not perfect solution, says Simonds. "It stigmatizes children" when they are treated differently from their peers, he believes. And, if something harmful is indeed going on in the classroom, only the children who opt out are protected, he notes.
The ongoing conflicts over school practices have led some observers to question whether the ideal of the common school for all children is still feasible.
"We're at a fork in the road," says Haynes. The two options facing education in the United States, he believes, are either to provide lots of choice within the context of public schools, or to move to a voucher system.
Haynes believes a more diverse system of public schools would forestall conflict between parents and educators. "Parents want schools that reflect more who they are," he says. But such a system should not be allowed to segregate students into homogeneous enclaves, he stipulates. It should provide more choice in the kind of education children receive, not in the kind of people with whom they attend school.
"Most people realize that the value of public education is very great," Haynes says; it helps define our understanding of ourselves as a nation. But public schools can—and should—find ways to deliver education without enforcing undue conformity.
A New Resource
A New Resource
To obtain a copy of Finding Common Ground: Guide to Religion and Public Education, edited by Charles Haynes, go to the ASCD Online Store or click http://shop.ascd.org/ProductDisplay.cfm&CategoryID=book&ProductID=303106.
