Parent Education in Support of Parenting Education

Parent Education

In Support of Parenting Education

In an perfect world, every child would be wanted and loved, and all parents would have the capacity and the desire to raise children who are healthy, mentally and physically strong, and displaying high moral integrity. Sadly, this is not the case. Some parents are, unfortunately, not much interested in what happens with their children. Other parents are not pleased with what is happening in the home with their children but do not know what to do to create effective change. Still other parents are unaware that there is another way, a better way, of parenting. Parent education could help in all of these scenarios.

The literature demonstrates that parenting interventions improve the quality of the relationship parents have with the children as well as improving child social behavior (Scott, O'Connor, Furth, Mathias, Price, and Doolan 2010). Programs have been particularly effective when delivered to motivated, ethnic majority parents, but there has been little study of programs that serve as interventions aimed at preventing a wide range of poor outcomes associated with antisocial behavior, such as involvement in risky lifestyles, low school attainment, and a lack of satisfactory friendships (Scott et al.). There are, of course, problems associated with delivery of parenting programs; the greatest challenge is getting parents to participate when there is no mandate that they do so. Skilled personnel may be another issue; urban areas may have sufficient counselors and educators, but rural areas may not. A third issue is cost, although, as pointed out by Scott et al., "programs can in theory be justified since in the long run they should reduce the high cost of antisocial behavior arising from increased use of services, higher levels of crime, and greater dependence of financial handouts."

Despite the problems associated with delivery of the parenting education, they are nonetheless vital. For one thing, academic success has been tied to acceptable behavior in children and conformance to certain social norms. For another, BusinessWeek reported in 2010 that average American children and teens spend nearly eight hours a day consuming media. This includes watching television, surfing the Internet, and playing video games (Reinberg, 2010). Sales of smart phones recently topped sales of personal computers (PCs), making media accessibility even greater for all age groups, including those under eighteen. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation determined that there appears to be a link between heavy media use and poor academic performance -- no surprise when researchers categorized "heavy media users" as those who use media more than sixteen hours per day (Reinberg)! Research also supports concerns that children and teens who play violent video games are much more likely to engage in violent ideation and actions. Parents have an important role to play in their children's behavior and character, in monitoring their activities, and in preparing them for academic success.

Brannon (2008) noted "Young children's beliefs about what is right and wrong traditionally have been strongly influenced by their families. However, today's children often come to school with problematic behaviors and attitudes. Character education has become a necessity." Society condones many behaviors that are unacceptable in the classroom, such as the use of profanity or provocative clothing for pre-teens. Children are exposed to adult-oriented content in television, movies and video games and can, therefore, become confused or uncertain about appropriate and inappropriate behavior in the classroom (Brannon, 2008). In addition, the style of parenting has changed over the last fifty years. Brannon notes that many parents feel guilty about being single parents or working parents (sometimes both). They are afraid to upset their children and try too hard to be friends, rather than disciplinarians.

Teachers increasingly find that children come to school not knowing how to behave. Yet for classroom instruction to be effective, there must be a classroom environment that is conducive to learning (Parker, Nelson and Burns, 2010). Research by Algizzine, Christian, Marr, McClanahan and White (2008, cited in Parker et al., 2010) noted "some of the most frequent disciplinary referrals in elementary schools are for disruption, disrespect, and aggression in the classroom." According to the authors' preliminary findings, character education programs incorporated with the academic curriculum have a positive effect on student engagement and achievement.