An exploration of some ways to work with parents to expand the usefulness of the teacher-parent relationship

World events of the past few years have cast a shadow of doubt over the ability of the American school, as an agent of a democratic society, to fulfill its dual role of social and academic development. Critics of American education have pointed to social inequalities, economic pressures , technological demands, and many other areas as possible causes for the so-called malfunction of American educational institutions. The world of adult endeavor asks the American college for tremendous increases in student preparation. The college is forced to step up its demands upon the high school, which in turn demands more of the elementary school. Finally the sequence of educational and societal demands ends with the first grade teacher looking at a six-year-old child. On one hand the pressures of society and the educational system threaten her. On the other hand the needs of individual children demand from her far more than just the teaching of academic skills . These forces are in opposition. Should these two entities, the societal demands and child needs, be further reduced before they can be reconciled, or must the teacher of young children reach out for a new dimension in teaching techniques? It is not advisable to permit the rest of human endeavor to race ahead while early childhood education does nothing to keep up. It is unreasonable to presume that old mistakes may, by some educational transmutation, produce new perfect ones. This study seeks, through action research, to find ways to improve early childhood education through study of the teacher-parent relationship