Baltimore City schools will soon be implementing a new program to get parents more involved in their child’s education.

The school system will spend $1 million next academic year (about half of which is expected to be grant money) on the program. A “community-based organization” will be contracted to get parents active and form PTAs in the schools that lack them. (Only about 50 of the 192 schools in the system currently have PTAs.) PTA representatives would then evaluate their principal and give feedback on the school’s budget to the city school’s chief.

Parents will also be given access to a website, allowing them to monitor their child’s grades and homework assignments. In addition, courses will be offered this summer to parents of new middle- and high-school students, telling them what to expect in the new schools.

Although these are great steps for Baltimore’s school system, it seems to be that “mobilizing” some of the parents may be a big challenge. Said Michael Sarbanes (son of Senator Paul and brother of Representative John), who was hired to coordinate the initiative: “[W]e’ve got a ton of work to do.”

The program seems to take on a lot in its first year, but those of you working in the schools know best. Is the plan overambitious, or a good first step toward fixing a fundamental problem?

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