In Colonial America, education was the responsibility of the family. If the family was wealthy enough, they could hire a tutor. If not, they relied on literate parents and older siblings to provide the instruction. All decisions on curriculum, instructional materials, learning standards, evidence of proficiency, class setting and time were made by the parents or legal guardians for their children.
In 1647 a law was passed in Massachusetts requiring every town of 50 or more families to have an elementary school, available to boys and girls, that taught reading, writing, ciphering and bible study. While parents were no longer directly involved, they would have still served on the school boards that built the schools, hired the teachers, provided the learning materials and designated the length of the school year and day and any other requirements. All decisions would have been made by the 50 or more sets of parents.
After the American Revolution, the Northern states led the way in establishing public schools. The first public high school in the United States was started in Boston in 1821. The 1840 census indicated that 55% of children between the ages of 5 and 15 attended school.
States began passing laws requiring compulsory attendance, most often until students reached the age of 14. By 1910, 72% of children attended school, half of them in a one room schoolhouse. By 1918 every state required students to complete elementary school. By 1940, 50% of young adults had a high school diploma. Today most states have compulsory attendance laws up to age 18 or until high school graduation.
Many feel this transition over time in our education system has been necessary and beneficial to our society and economy. Business relies on trained workers. Our form of government relies on educated voters. How have these changes affected the parent’s role in education? Some would argue that the responsibility of educating children has shifted from parents to the federal government. I disagree. The role of providing education to children has always been and remains the responsibility of parents. I live in Utah and our state constitution reads, “A student’s parent or guardian is the primary person responsible for the education of the student, and the state is in a secondary and supportive role to the parent or guardian.”
Some parents feel intimidated by professionals with several letters behind their names and forget or feel pressured to relinquish their role as the primary person responsible for the education of their child. This is unfortunate because their perspective is the most qualified to benefit society. Let’s examine the three key players in education: business, government and parents.
Business needs employees. We witnessed this during the Industrial Revolution when public schools were turned into training centers for future factory workers. The goal of business is to prepare compliant, trained workers who will follow protocol and help their employers make money. This benefits business, but what about society as a whole? Some workers experience stress-related health issues under the pressure of meeting employer demands. This takes a toll on our health-care system and reduces the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Our local, state and federal governments can become weighed down in bureaucracy and move very slowly as a result. Any innovative ideas, even after evidenced based research on their effectiveness, may take years to be implemented. Budgetary concerns are a controversial topic and will constantly be under discussion. And the primary aim of government? They need to maintain the status quo to stay in power. Neither business nor government are motivated to produce a nation of independent thinkers.
Parents are motivated to provide an education that meets their children’s best interest. Parents will support the student who wants to become a creator, an inventor, or any impractical, previously unheard of goal that satisfies their child’s dreams. And when does society progress most abundantly? When it provides a nurturing climate for the spirit of entrepreneurship. That’s when the economy grows. That’s what our society needs.
For the good of society and our future, let’s remember that parents are responsible for the education of their children. Business and government play a supportive role.