Are Parents to Blame?

Pointing the finger at teachers for low test scores and poor graduation rates is the new trend. A report released by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation last week reinforced the idea that teachers have great responsibility for ensuring that their students pass, but a poll conducted by the Associated Press in coordination with Stanford University indicates that parents may actually have a greater responsibility.

The Associated Press-Stanford University Poll on education found that 68 percent of adults believe that parents should take heavy blame for problems within the U.S. education system. Only 35 percent of those surveyed agreed with the Gates Foundation report that teachers deserve the blame. 72 percent of mothers and 61 percent of fathers blamed parents; and more conservatives than moderates or liberals tended to blame parents.

For those who said parents are to blame, their reasons were consistent: a lack of student discipline and low expectations for students. "Nobody is too busy to raise a child for a successful future," said Wilfred Luise Vincent, 65, of Coppell, Texas, one of the participants in the survey.

Interestingly, Stanford's participation in the study was funded by a grant from the Gates Foundation.

Photo Credit: Sandy Fauxen