Rick Smith, the superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, and some parents of local students recently made a point that is all too often lost in discussions on improving students' academic performance: Active participation by parents in their children's education is vital.
"I and my staff need to hear from you," Smith said, referring to parents. Parents attending the meeting said that they, too, want to have more contact with school board members and school administrators.
That is an understandable and laudable desire. Giving children a good start in their educational career, and in their lives overall, requires many things: adequately funded schools, highly qualified and caring teachers, able administrators and a well-disciplined, wholesome atmosphere in the schools.
But it also requires motivated students and involved parents who are working in partnership with the schools for the best academic outcomes possible.
Students who know that their parents keep in touch with teachers and principals are less likely to misbehave and more likely to work hard and succeed in school.
As the superintendent correctly noted, "The more we pull together, the better our kids will be."
Accordingly, the superintendent, local parents and all the rest of us are well advised to strengthen ties between the schools and the families they serve as they educate our precious youngsters.