Personal+Perspective+on+the+role+of+Parent+Councils

=  Personal Perspective on the role of Parent Councils ~Terry Kennedy, AB   =

I believe that in order for parent councils to be as effective as they can be (and by this, I mean positively affect student learning), we need to move away from parent councils that are de facto fundraising societies and move them more toward a model where the decisions they make are both meaningful and valuable educationally. This by no means lessens the role that teachers and other professional educators play in education, in fact I see this as adding another voice to the conversation that will ultimately benefit student learning. Stelmach & Preston (2008) state it best when they argue the need for schools to “create opportunities for parents to contribute 'beyond the bake sale’” (p. 59).

That being said, I have come across some literature that suggests that parent councils should be involved in decisions such as hiring new teachers and new principals. I am on the fence with this particular issue. A report on effective school councils, commissioned by the Alberta Government (2004), cites inviting parent council members into the hiring process as “one of the most meaningful exercises identified by parent council members” (p. 12). I see this as perhaps being problematic in a few different ways. First off, parent council members would not be bound (as far as I know) by the decorum and rules that professional educators must abide by. Secondly, because parent council is made up of parent-volunteers (not salaried employees), I’m not sure who they would actually be accountable to.

I would be interested in hearing from other educators where this is common practice to gage whether you see there as being a benefit to this practice.

References Alberta Government (2004). School Council Effectiveness: Summary and Findings of the Provincial Consultation. Retrieved from:[]

Stelmach, B.L., & Preston, J.P. (2008). Cake or curriculum. Principal and Parent Views on Transforming the Parental Role in Saskatchewan Schools. ISEA, 36(3), 59-74.