| SEARCH OnWEAC |
|---|
Parental involvement helps children succeed in school, the 2008 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year said Thursday (December 6, 2007) while testifying at a Senate Education Committee public hearing in favor of a bill to modify the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act to include school conferences and activities.
 Beth Oswald, 2008 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, speaks in favor of Senate Bill 195 at a Senate Education Committee hearing. |
Senate Bill 195 allows parents to take up to 16 hours of leave time from work to participate in children’s school activities and conferences that cannot be scheduled during non-working hours.
“I can really, truly say the more you develop a face-to-face relationship with a parent, the more likely that parent is to feel comfortable initiating contact again with you,” Beth Oswald told the Senate Education Committee. Oswald, a 7th-grade world history teacher at J. C. McKenna Middle School in Evansville for 11 years, is a recipient of the Kohl Fellowship, Wisconsin Middle School Teacher of the Year, and the state’s representative for National Teacher of the Year.
“These parents are also much more likely to respond in a positive manner when contacted regarding any concerns staff may have about their child, as they now see teachers as partners, rather than adversaries,” she continued. “Additionally, once parent-teacher relationships are formed through contact at open houses and conferences, parents tend to feel more comfortable attending school-day activities.”
Research and common sense proves that when parents are involved, their children are more likely to achieve higher grades and test scores, develop better attitudes and behavior, attend school more regularly, complete more homework, graduate from high school and enroll in postsecondary education.
“Senate Bill 195 would help these relationships occur, by giving employees the right to attend such valuable and vital school conferences and activities,” Oswald testified. “And while we cannot mandate that parents attend their children’s conferences and meetings, this bill would go a long way toward making it easier for parents who wish they could attend to actually do so.”
 Rep. Spencer Black, left, discusses the importance of parental involvement in schools at a Senate Education Committee hearing. Looking on is Sen. Tim Carpenter, author of SB 195. |
Sen. Tim Carpenter of Milwaukee, author of SB 195, and Rep. Spencer Black of Madison, author of the companion bill, Assembly Bill 395, also testified during the hearing.
“The parents least likely to get this flexibility… are very often parents of children who would most benefit from this interaction,” Black told the committee. “I know it as a parent and a former teacher. I can tell you as a teacher, it makes all the difference.”
Parents who work in low-wage jobs or in tough conditions often have the most difficulty getting approval for time off to participate in their children’s education, he said. “This has a minimum impact on employers but makes an important impact on children,” he added.
Sen. Luther Olsen, a member of the Education Committee, asked why a change was necessary. He said he was not aware of anyone who was unable to get off of work for those purposes using paid time off or vacation.
“It does happen,” Black responded, stressing that the measure does not require employers to compensate employees for the leave time. “Probably half of the people can’t imagine why this is needed. But a very significant number of people in the state don’t have the ability to take paid time off or vacation. Not every job comes with vacation or paid time off.”
Sen. Jon Erpenbach, a member of the committee, agreed. “This levels the playing field economically,” he said. “It’s a matter of economic justice for all.”
Oswald noted that she worked for a grocery store before becoming a teacher and received just two personal days a year, which were subject to approval by a supervisor. “If that time was denied to you, you really had little recourse,” she said.
She said teachers try to meet outside the school day and otherwise accommodate parents, but for events such as conferences when many teachers are involved or lengthy individual education plan meetings, it would be impossible to gather all the participants outside of the regular schedule. She said that partnership is essential to helping all students reach their full potential.
According to the Education Commission of the States, at least 15 states encourage, urge, expect or direct employers to enable parents to attend school activities such as parent/teacher conferences: Alabama, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
Other items taken up by the Senate Education Committee included:
A hearing on Senate Bill 108, requiring instruction in public schools on the history of organized labor in America and the collective bargaining process.
Appointments of the following individuals to the Professional Standards Council for Teachers:
Posted December 6, 2007