Meeting the Challenges of the Urban High School

Introduction

The case study indicates that urban schools today face a difficult battle. These schools face a number of problems that their rural, and even suburban, counterparts do not. Problems include crowded auditorium, dilapidated facilities, lack of equipment, shortage of teachers, lack of parental involvement and low student achievement. In addition, students in inner cities must often deal with the pressures of poverty and violence outside the school. The consequences are manifested in the tragic statistics: one high school student drops out every nine seconds, in accordance with the Children's Defense Fund.

Parent Involvement Strategies

It was observed that the involvement of parents repeatedly identified as a protective factor for young, low-income children's positive development. Parents in general wanted to participate as much as possible in school to know what is happening to their children (Gutman & McLoyd, pp 1-24). They expressed interest in participating as a lot of events, possibly taking into account work and family responsibilities. Parents are comfortable going to school and feel the knowledge that they are, for example, teachers and administrators know the parents by name and greet them when they are in school, expressed by many is not always the case in other schools. Regular communication with teachers and parents helps to stay connected to their children's education.

Schools will be attracted by the vast majority of parents, school activities through several events and points of entry, welcoming school environment, and frequent contact between staff and parents. By focusing on creating a diverse, including culture and encourage parents to participate in the school, urban schools attract parents with a variety of previous experiences and propensity to involve parents. Parents expressed that the school creates an open, hospitable, and the information environment (Jorissen, pp 34-189).

Joyce Baldwin called "shopping ...