EBD Blog

According to the BBC, a group of teachers in the United Kingdom believe that parents should be held responsible for students’ misbehavior. At a meeting of the Professional Association of Teachers, a UK teachers’ union, “Delegates voted that ministers should take ‘action against’ parents whose children misbehave.” Ann Nuckley, a school administrator told the the group,

“Poor parenting fosters lack of respect and no manners.

“No wonder then that, having no guidelines, children enter education with limited knowledge about appropriate behaviour.

“Staff in education are expected to teach social skills which should have been learnt at home.

“They find themselves ‘policing’ classes rather than teaching.”

The comments are a response to a proposed policy of the UK’s Labour party. An aspect of the policy is dubbed “Parent Power” and includes increased parent authority for failing schools, emphasis on basics, Zero tolerance for disruption, and other features.

I can understand her concern about teaching in schools where there are fewer disruptions, but Ms Nuckley’s comments raise a host of questions. Here are a few.

1. For what behaviors should the parents be responsible? Fighting? Cussing? Kissing? Crying? Arguing? Talking? Running?
2. How will they be held repsonsible? Will parents be summoned when a student behaves in a particular way? Will they be fined?
3. Will classroom environments fostered by teachers be held unimpeachable? Will those environments contribute nothing to students’ behavior?

What do you think? What are the merits and problems with holding parents responsible for misbehavior?

• Link to the BBC story about the PAT conference.
• Link to Times Education Supplement story on Labour’s “parent power.”
• Link to a Guardian story on “parent power.”
• Link to a statement about education policy from Labour’s Web site and to a PDF stating policies.
• Link to the PAT’s Web site.