Who is responsible for a student's education? On the path from diaper to degree, who gets the blame for failures and the credit for successes? Administration, policy-makers, teachers, other school staff or therapists, parents, peers, or the student him or herself?
As for myself, I believe the responsibility sits with parents. The reasons for that seem obvious--parents influence children from their first hours of life onward, shaping them before they develop independence and accountability. Children are attached to their parents and deeply influenced by parents' examples and expectations. However, I also hold that belief because I am a parent. When I was a student, I was confident that students held the key to our own futures, and I had resources to learn whatever I wanted. When I was a teacher, I knew that my students' progress toward valuable learning goals was dependent on my planning, teaching, and devoted attention to each student.
So who is really responsible? Each of us. Imagine the quality of education if each and every person involved acted on the conviction that they made all the difference. We would see success after success. The moment any one party tries to shift responsibility to another, outcomes will not be what they could have been. Who is responsible for education? Each of us.
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