Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Parenting Needs Reform Too

Let’s be clear: yes, our schools need a lot of improvement – but so do our parents. It’s good to see that some interventions work:

Improving the way people parent might seem an impossible challenge, given the competing views about what constitutes good parenting. Can we influence a behavior that is rooted in upbringing and culture, affected by stress, and occurs mainly in private? And even if we could reach large populations with evidence-based messages the way public health officials got people to quit smoking, wear seat belts or apply sunscreen, would it have an impact?

That’s what was explored in South Carolina in recent years, and the answer appears to be yes.

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