ORANGE : Parents’ Role in Education Stressed

More than 250 people turned out this week for a “Successful Parents” conference that included seminars on self-esteem, the dangers of steroids and gang violence in Orange County.

The third annual conference emphasized the need for parental support of education and gave parents the chance to talk with education experts, said program chairwoman Jane Wyner.

County Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez, keynote speaker at the Wednesday night gathering, said schools are increasingly emphasizing the role of the parent in education.

“I think it’s indicative of the growing knowledge that parents are going to be a critical component of developing an educational strategy for the United States,” Vasquez said. “They (school districts) realize that they cannot succeed in the classroom--they have to go beyond the classroom.” While Wyner was pleased at the turnout for the program at Orange High School, she said such events don’t always reach the parents of the children who need help the most.

“What we figure is that 20% of the parents here are looking for assistance in some way,” Wyner said. “Honestly, 80% are already magnificent parents and that’s why they’re here. But there’s that 20% we catch that means everything to us.”

The program was sponsored by the Orange Unified School District.