Q&A with Jan Harp Domene

Parent Leader

The president-elect of the national PTA knows about dropout prevention. She almost was one. Now she’s working with NEA on its plan to help the nearly 7,000 students who drop out every day.

What makes this such an important issue for you personally?

Domene: I could have been that kid! Although my parents loved me very much, education wasn’t a priority for them. My mom was from another country, and my father was from rural Alabama. He left school after fifth grade. Their thinking about me was, “You’re 16. You need to get a job and help support the family.” If it wasn’t for my yearbook teacher and a counselor who got together and said, “We need to figure out a way to keep her in school,” I’d have left. They really took care of me.

How can parents and teachers work better to prevent kids from dropping out?

Domene: We need to put our efforts into early intervention and prevention, instead of coming back and dealing with rehabilitation down the way. Too often, we say, “Oh, he’s only a first-grader! And he’s missed just a few days of school!” But that’s a pattern, and it leads to truancy. Kids who drop out are kids who have fallen so far behind that they don’t see a way of catching up. And we also need to realize that kids aren’t in school just for reading and arithmetic—they’re drawn to school for arts, dance, athletics. If you start taking away the things that they love, you’re going to lose those kids.

Sometimes teachers complain that some parents are completely absent from the learning process. Other times they fear the “helicopter” parent who hovers constantly. What do teachers need to understand about both kinds?

Domene: Both of those parents care for their kids, they just don’t know how to deal with the situation. One is so overwhelmed that they’re absent. The other is such a nurturer, they’re smothering the kid. I think both are looking for help, and they’re looking for teachers to give that help.

What do parents really want from teachers?

Domene: Teachers need to communicate with parents. I know it’s hard for them. God knows it’s hard! But they need to make parents feel valued, like their opinion is important. All parents want their kids to succeed, but they don’t know how to do it. They look to teachers as the guiding force.