“Radical School Reform Law You’ve Never Head of” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704462704575609781273579228.html shines a light on a California law, “parent trigger” which sanctions parents to either invite a charter school to operate a school that is failing or take steps to force the school to close, if 51% of parents sign a petition. I am all in favor of empowering parents, but only if they help make their child’s school successful. A parent has responsibility for their children to enter school ready to be successful learners. Reading aloud and talking to children help children get ready to learn to read and sets the stage for them becoming emergent readers. Vocabulary is the lynchpin to literacy and language learned in conversation is where a child acquires the words needed to learn to read. Children who come to school with well-developed “finding meaning in books” skills are clearly at an advantage. Someone in the home read to the children, answered their questions, and encouraged them to read.
