Are Parents to Blame When a Child Fails in School?

This was the question asked recently on a segment of the Today show. Hearing it made me cringe. Sure schools play a big role, but parents should be a child's first teacher and advocate. And it’s not about BLAME – it’s about responsibility.

Blame is a nasty word. In this case, it implies we’re trying to find a scapegoat when something goes wrong.

Parents are responsible for giving their children the best chance they can to succeed, especially in school, but what parents should do and what they actually do can often be two different things.

So, fellow parents, these are our kids, and it’s our responsibility to make sure that we do everything we can to help them succeed, at least in those first 18 years.

What do you think? Whose fault is it when a child fails in school? Is it parents or someone else? Join the conversation and post your answer below in the comments.

Here's a bit more food for thought and a few pointers:

• You need to help your child's brain development. Read, interact and speak to them from infancy throughout elementary school. Studies have shown the number of words a child hears and the number of positive words she hears in the first three years of life can have great impact on her intelligence or ability to succeed in school later in life. Supposedly, 30,000 words a day is the magic number.
• Once your child can read on her own, insist that she does so daily for at least 30 minutes
• Give your child experiences outside the home, like museums, parks, the beach, etc.
• Take an interest and talk with your child every day, and not just, “Did you do your homework?” or “Please clean your room.”
• Get your child to school every day on time, unless she has a fever or is vomiting. If you miss school, you miss out.
• Be involved in school to the best of your ability – volunteer, stop in to visit the teacher.