Mandatory Parenting

School Administrator, Feb, 1995

Parents need to be involved in their children's schools, the commanding officer at Fort Hood, Texas, told soldiers of the First Cavalry Division. Then Lt. Gen. Paul Funk ordered soldiers to attend parent-teacher conferences held twice every six weeks at their children's schools, located on the world's largest Army base. The results are impressive.

The number of fourth-graders at Clarke Elementary School who passed the state's academic skills tests increased by 25 percent in some subjects. Comparable gains were recorded at Smith Middle School.

Dependents of the 44,500 soldiers stationed at Fort Flood attend school in the Killeen Independent School District. Superintendent Charles Patterson praises the involvement of Army personnel who volunteer in Killeen schools. "Every campus has been adopted, and soldiers help us spruce up the grounds," he says.