Pupils Aim High With Contracts--Less TV Too

It’s an agreement to build moral character, get organized and even give up some TV time.

Those are a few of the promises that students at Glen H. Dysinger Sr. Elementary in Buena Park are asked to make at the beginning of the school year. And the youngsters are signing a contract that spells out these obligations, and they’re sticking to them.

Only one week into the program, half of the 570 students at the school have turned in their contracts.

“The kids actually thought it was kind of neat,” said parent Diana Goss, who has two children at Dysinger. “And I think it’s a great idea. It’s something we can all share and we’re all working toward the same goals.”

Contracts from parents and students are nothing new in schools. However, this new program at Dysinger brings contracts to new, more serious levels.

The “Commitment to Success” contract is a voluntary agreement that asks students to practice good study habits and parents to stay involved in school. The aim is to make school a family experience, officials said.

The contract outlines detailed suggestions on how parents and students can team up daily on schoolwork.

Some of the parents’ responsibilities include:

* Asking their children about their day at school.

* Providing a study place at home.

* Attending teacher conferences at school.

Students are expected to:

* Keep a calendar with dates for tests and homework.

* Use classroom time to finish up schoolwork.

* And the kicker: Spend more time reading than watching television.

The results have been positive, parents said.

“My son’s reading more because of this commitment,” said Patty Jansen. “It’s easier to get him to read now because he’s signed this contract. He knows he’s now accountable.”

O Jansen said her sixth-grade son, Kevin, has vowed to substitute books for a few Nickelodeon programs and computer games.

Principal Richard Hoss said parents fully welcomed the idea when it was raised at back-to-school night last week.

New to Dysinger this year, Hoss said he started up a similar program last year at a La Palma school. But because that previous contract didn’t detail suggestions on how parents and children can work together, he said, the program wasn’t as successful.

First-grade teacher Tera Fowler said the contract is more useful because it offers specific ideas for parents and students. It also will be referred to and useful during parent conferences.

“We can remind parents of these goals and discuss them with them,” she said. “They are simple, yet some of the most important things parents can do with children.”

Now, all the other schools in the Centralia School District have joined Dysinger and have some kind of contract program.