Reply #439: Read the article "How to talk with a Bush Voter" [View All]

[fortyfeetunder]

This is the crux of the problem to lack of parent participation:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/04/12/04_talk.html

"Another issue to bring up with social conservatives is the huge toll that right-wing economic policies are taking on family life. Many parents must simply do what they are told at work for fear of losing benefits or becoming unemployed. Frequently, what they are told is to work longer hours with no guaranteed overtime pay"

Look, I bet many parents would love to spend an hour in their child's classroom or be able to attend a parent teacher conference. But most of corporate Murka doesn't allow that flexibility.

We have a population of parents who are working in jobs with either limited benefits, no leave, no vacation, no flextime, no overtime, and for some, the threat of their jobs being outsourced to some other country. So with that hanging over their heads, school probably takes a lesser priority....