Examining and explaining Saudi Arabia's educational practices relating to parent-school-community partnerships
In Saudi Arabia, parents have taken their children to school and haven't been doing follow ups on the student's school performance and attendance. Parents will just pay tuition and buy everything that the child requires. They, however, never ask the child's progress, don't even know what the child learns. When meetings are called in schools, many parents won't attend as they think it's a waste of time. They believe that their only requirement is to enroll a child in school and pay the required fees. They leave everything else to the teacher.
In some cases, children want to get an education, but the parents aren't concerned. The parents don't know what classes or levels the children are in, what is expected of the children or the parents or even what the children's study's entail. In such cases, it is even hard for a child to request the parents to buy them any materials that they need to help them at school.
Parents either don't know their role or are just ignorant about their role in their children's education. Parents need to learn that they need to instill the aspect of responsibility in their children. They need to show the children that education is important. They need to teach their children that they can realize the different talents they have just by going to school (Epstein & Sanders, 2012). They need to motivate their children so that they can put more effort in their school work.
Apart from failing in working with the children, the parents have also failed to work with the teachers. They let the teacher do all the work from teaching to disciplining the children. When a teacher is having a control case with a pupil, it is hard for them to talk to the parents about it since they are confident that the parents won't do anything about it. They are left to have to deal with the situation on their own which is quite tiring. Apart from that, when the teacher fails to manage some pupils, some of the pupils have to drop out of school and, therefore, end up without and education.
The community has also neglected their role in its contribution to help with the children's education. Sometimes children are sent to school but out of mischief, they choose to hide and play all day or make some cheap money. When the members of the community see this, they don't report the issue to the parents or the teachers and the children get away with the ill behavior. Again, when the children miss school to make cheap money, it is the members of the society who provide the "job opportunities" for them (Epstein & Sanders, 2012).
The community has also failed to make it their responsibility to provide education to the less fortunate. The children can't cater for their financial needs and need older people from the community to help them with the finances. Some children fail to get an education only because the community and the schools don't cooperate. If the parents, the schools and the community at large work together, more children will get a decent education. It is all to the society's benefits when the society has more learned people. It will also help to reduce the poverty levels in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia hasn't developed a good home-school-community partnership.
Areas that could use and apply US approaches
Saudi Arabia needs to implement the Reggio Emilia approach to preschool and primary education. With this method, a child has different ways to express themselves. They can express themselves by various means which include drawing, painting or even drama and sculpturing (Abbott & Nutbrown, (2011). The current curriculum was prepared by teachers who dictate what the children should read and at the ages they should learn particular things (Krieger, 2013).
With this approach, a child familiarizes themselves with the environment they live. They can differentiate different things just from watching them over time. The method also improves a child's creativity. The method helps a child's parents and teachers discover a child's talent from an early age. The talent can then be nurtured and by the time the child is an adult, they can depend on their talent as a source of income.
The approach allows a child to grow at their pace. The child learns different values from the community such as sharing. A child is not made to compete with others but is given an opportunity to explore their talents and passions. When this happens, it is not possible to rate children as they are currently rated. When the kids are ranked and are made to believe that some are brighter than others.
The rating makes some of the children feel superior to the rest and uses a ground for putting other kids down. The children who are considered not as bright feel inferior. They look down upon themselves and feel as though they aren't good enough at anything. Such a child might have been a talented painter but ends up giving up. As they grow older still looking down on themselves, some of them end up quitting school (Epstein & Sanders, 2012). The system will help to keep more children in school.
A second area where the system is supposed to apply US approaches is with the kids with special needs or the commonly known as slow learners. These kids aren't given attention and are left home when other kids go to school. People tend to believe that these kids are slow in everything they do and aren't given attention. Sometimes parents think that they are wasting finances when they keep such children in school.
The Montessori Approach is quite convenient for such children. The approach gives the children more discovery time. The children are given exercises that they should take within certain time periods before taking breaks (Isaacs, 2014). The periods should be constant as the children have a low concentration which needs to be improved. The children can practice activities such as arranging blocks, coloring different letters and so on. When the children do this repeatedly, the shapes, letters and forms will stick to their mind. The repetition also helps them relate certain situations with certain things. These children will learn just like other kids and will not feel as though they are intimidated.
Reasons why the approaches are helpful
The strategies are useful as everybody; parents, school and the community, will have a contribution to make in a child's education (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2013). The approaches will also help children improve their talents. All children will have equal chances of attending school than it currently is. The approach will help the society to have all round people. Sometimes it is possible to find a society of learned individuals with wanting social skills. The system will help people discover that it's not only learning what's in the syllabus that matters but the overall growth of the child.
References
Abbott, L., & Nutbrown, C. (2011). Experiencing Reggio Emilia: Implications for Pre-School Provision. Open University Press, 325 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (14.99 British pounds).
Desforges, C., & Abouchaar, A. (2013). The impact of parental involvement, parental support and family education on pupil achievement and adjustment: A review of literature. London: DfES Publications.
Epstein, J. L., & Sanders, M. G. (2012). Prospects for change: Preparing educators for school, family, and community partnerships. Peabody journal of Education, 81(2), 81-120.
Isaacs, B. (2014). Bringing the Montessori approach to your early years practice. Routledge.
Krieger, Z. (2013). Saudi Arabia puts its billions behind western-style higher education. The chronicle of higher education, 54(3), A1.
