TOW Post #23- Article: "Don't Help Your Kids With Their Homework"

         

           In today's society, students are pressured to do their best because one thinks one needs to get the best grades in order to be successful in life. Unfortunately parents are not toning down this mentality and are actually encouraging it. A parent thinks that the more involved they are with their children's academics the better the grades will turn out to be. This orthodox American mentality is challenged in the the article "Don't Help Your Kids With Their Homework", written by author Dana Goldstein.
            Published in the magazine The Atlantic, this article addresses parents role in their children's academic lives. Goldstein brings up the conversation of how much does it really help the students when their parents are in the parent committee, helping their child with homework, having parent-teacher conferences, etc. She comes to the conclusion that these efforts mad by parents do not make a huge difference. In writing this article Goldstein's purpose is to reach out to parents and show that their over involvement is a waste of time and ineffective. Goldstein is able to achieve this goal by uses research data and personal analysis.
           Throughout her entire article Goldstein was able to incorporate data from research done by professors from Duke and University of Texas at Austin. The data found by these professors showed that "Most measurable forms of parental involvement seem to yield few academic dividends for kids, or even to backfire—regardless of a parent’s race, class, or level of education." Not only does this research directly supports Goldstein's purpose, it also gives her credibility considering her sources are  reliable. She also uses information from a certified sociologist  who discovered similar findings in the 1990's. After implementing these research findings she does not leave them hanging in her article.
            Goldstein is able to successfully achieve her purpose by weaving in her own analysis after stating the research findings in her article. For example towards the end she develops her "so what." she ties her supporting data into an overall conclusion that parents are still helping with their involvement actions but not with their children, but with the community. By using these two strategies of research data and personal analysis she is able to open the eyes of many parents.