Parent Participation in the Schools.

Abstract

ship potential but who are not the kinds of youngsters who are usually chosen for leadership roles, e.g., star athletes, cheerleaders, or straight-A students. Another aim of the program is to de velop a commitment among young peo ple to volunteerism and community ser vice. In making such a commitment, of course, the young people themselves have much to gain, including a sense of positive connection to their schools and communities that can be a strong anti dote to feelings of alienation, despair, and purposelessness. Ten states are now using Project LEAD. The service projects carried out under the program have involved teen agers in cleaning up and beautifying their communities, tutoring and caring for younger children, establishing a crime prevention program, and adopt ing senior citizens in need of compan ionship. The enthusiasm for Project LEAD ex pressed by Daniel Howe, principal -of North Side School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is typical. of the stu dents who have become involved might never have been chosen for a leadership position, he says. But we've found out that they're better leaders than other stu dents. Our goal is to get these students trained and then to have them go out into the mainstream of student activi ties. These youngsters are developing skills that we think all students should have. Project LEAD was a natural step at North Side School, after four years of successful implementation of Skills for Living, which was required of all ninth-graders. Howe observes, High school freshmen are the most mixed-up group of human beings in the world. Skills for Living helps students develop an attachment to the school and solve common problems of adoles cence. More parents tell me these days that their children come home and talk about things that are going on in their classes. Some parents say that their youngsters haven't discussed such things for years. I think that those schools that don't offer the program are really missing the boat.