Maryland's leadership

Maryland state school board acccepts landmark report from a 125-person parent advisory council, calling for much greater efforts by the state and local districts to promote parent and family involvement. It represents the strongest set of state-level recommendations anywhere to support increased parent involvement--including mandatory parent membership on the state board, a huge emphasis on training for parents and educators alike, regular satisfaction surveys, and a call for local districts to factor parent satisfaction into staff reviews. State Supt. Nancy Grasmick is very supportive and I'm confident she'll push for implementation; some of the recommendations will require legislative changes. (Note: We served as the national adviser to this effort.) Washington Post story here. Report and related materials here.