Last week I described some of the parents that I have met while involved in education in Federal Way. There are a few that I didn't have room to cover last week.

The indifferent parents

These parents seem to regard schools as places where they can park their children while they work or do something else.

Whatever happens in school, as long as the child is not injured and is "happy," or as a recent poll put it, "satisfied" with school is just fine with them.

These kids, in many cases, also rule the household and often arrive at school prepared for almost anything but the "hard work" that Mr. Davies suggested.

This group of kids, mostly on their own by middle school, are a significant reason why Washington State is 50th in the nation in college completion.

These kids will select schools and classes that "satisfy" them, and are attended by their friends.

So often they start middle school as capable students, but this capability diminishes rapidly as they mature without any parental pressure to succeed in an academic sense. Many will drop out, and most of the rest will not "graduate" with the necessary qualifications to finish either college or a vocational program.

These parents seem to think that the 6.5 hours of "instruction" on 180 days that their children are in school are adequate to prepare them for their futures, and that anything that happens after school or during vacations will not adversely affect their children's education. They are far more likely to show up at a Little League game than a PTA meeting.

Bring on the X-Boxes, I-Pods, cell phones, etc! The excuse of "adolescence" will be used frequently along with the concept of "behaviorally disordered" to rationalize the situation.

Often these kids come from families where language is a problem or a culture that doesn't see quality education as a necessity for success in life. Check the "help wanted" advertisements for any openings for these "graduates." I haven't found any openings.

The adjustment to adult life for this group can be devastating.

The neglectful parents

There are a significant number of single parent homes and dysfunctional home settings in every community.

As we have eroded the standards for adult conduct, this has become a major problem for schools.

They have been reluctant to engage these parents, and the child welfare system, into a program that will "save the children."

Stories about child neglect abound. Often the parent(s) education has not been adequate for the current job market.

Unfortunately, schools have often "diluted" some of their programs to "accommodate" the single working mother who cannot properly attend to her children.

In this process the entire population has to settle for a minimal standard. It is my opinion that most of these accommodations do not end up "saving the child" but rather perpetuates the problem onto the next generation.

This downward spiral seems to overwhelm us.

I would suggest that we, society, needs to establish a minimum standard for the upbringing of children. Then insist on it, or intervention will take place.

As a tutor in the community I have seen many examples of this indifference that has destroyed some very bright children. I don't know that we can afford to continue this.

Wishing it away doesn't seem to work.

In school districts and private schools where I have taught education has a higher priority than in Federal Way.

This is largely due to the continued insistence of the parents who are very concerned about the future of their children, and believe that this future is tightly bound to the quality of education they receive.

At School Board meetings and PTA functions there are intensive discussions of matters that impact the classroom and the learning environment. When SAT scores come out parents are looking at their school and comparing it to surrounding schools.

If the results are not to their liking look for these parents to be at the next PTA and School Board meetings with demands and suggestions for how to improve this situation.

In Federal Way I have never seen this in spite of having some schools that do not compare well to either state or national standards.

The results of this indifference are not hard to see.

There are other parties involved in this situation and these will be covered in forthcoming columns.

Moving up the food chain the next column will be devoted to the teachers and the teachers' union.

Charlie Hoff is a former member of the Board of Education for Federal Way Public Schools. His weekly column will appear in upcoming issues of the Federal Way News and online at www.federalwaynews.net.