TeacherDrivenChange

Child Rearing Practices and Behaviors that Lead to Success

Are there specific child rearing practices and behaviors that encourage a culture of success?  What can parents do to support their child’s educational experiences?   How do we increase parent involvement? The CTA IFT is excited about having Jane Kim as one of our keynote speakers at the May 16 – 17, 2008 Workshop to speak on critical child rearing practices which encourage student academic and social success.  Jane Kim, Esq. is the co-author of the book Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Achievers – and How You Can Too. While Asian Americans make up only 4% of the US population, they make up between 20 to 25% of the Ivy League Universities. The median income for Asian Americans is also $10,000 higher when compared to their non - Asian counterparts. Jane Kim has written and taught on the practices and behaviors that lead to academic, personal, and financial success. Parents and teachers across the country have found her message that kids can succeed academically despite parental socioeconomic status, education level, race, or culture, particularly empowering. In short, Top of the Class is unique because it promotes ‘Asian’ principles such as discipline and delayed gratification while still promoting very American values such as emotional development, creativity, and independence.

New Child Rearing Challenges

There was a time when community members looked out for their neighbors – especially the children in the community.  Today, however, parents are required to assume new responsibilities in the world of the Internet, the entertainment industry, and video games.  Faced with interactive Web sites, virtual reality, the influence of the media, and online services, our children are continually at risk, absent appropriate adult support and guidance.  As a result, child rearing practices assume a totally new meaning when compared to parental role and responsibilities from even a few years ago.  While there are numerous groups and organizations that believe the schools should assume a greater parental role, others suggest that parents should not relinquish any more of their parental authority or responsibility.  What is clear is that parents can not be removed from their essential role in preparing their children for adulthood. The challenge for teachers and parents is to investigate and determine what has worked in the past and how we can redesign our school community relationships to replicate those successful behaviors and practices and what new structural changes will drive a culture of success for all students.

Democracy, Social Justice and Prosperity

What is more important:  Peers or parents?  Don’t answer this question too quickly. Jerome Kagan, a psychologist at Harvard University, suggests that the importance of parents in their children's lives has been underestimated.  Teachers know that parents and parent rearing practices are critical to a school community culture of success.  The challenge is to identify what teachers and administrators can do to support and advocate for desirable and appropriate child- rearing practices.  In addition, the school community needs to examine what changes need to be made both at the micro and macro levels to show parents that their child-rearing practices have a major impact on their children’s’ success.  Kagan, who has been instrumental to the Culture Matters Research Project (CMRP), has explored in detail the link between child rearing- practices and three CMPR goals: democracy, social justice and prosperity. These three goals have been found to be encouraged when children have a sense of empowerment, a humane and sympathetic view of life, and a strong work ethic.