When President Obama spoke with NBC’s Matt Lauer today as part of the Education Nation series, the fact that our schools desperately need more and smarter investments made the headlines – rightly so.  But another issue was buried in the conversation:  Parents need to be held accountable for their children’s learning.  The President admitted that his own children would spend their time watching TV if left to their own devices, and certainly mine would too.  Parents play the key role in creating the time and space to study.  And much more.  The dinner table or long car rides present ideal opportunities to begin conversations that can instill positive values in our children, like making a habit of reading every day, standing up for the underdog on the playground, promoting real appreciation for people who are different from us, and even modeling how to embrace a global perspective.

Educators are rightly concerned with implementing “21^st Century Learning,” with implications well beyond accessing the latest technologies.  For real impact, parents need to get behind this, and they better not wait until their children are thinking about which colleges to apply to.  Start as young as possible.  For parents of school-aged children, I’ve posted a short list of tips on “How Every Child Can Grow Up Global” at PBS Parents, since global competency is a crucial 21^st Century skill.  Here’s an excerpt:

<<We learn what we see.

As a parent, your own willingness to try a new food, learn about another faith, genuinely befriend diverse colleagues and neighbors, or embarrass yourself trying to express ideas in a different language will leave an impression on your children and they’ll be better for it. We’re more plugged in than ever, but not necessarily more connected.  So, striving to be a friend to the whole human race – starting at home – can be a huge challenge, but also makes a great gift for our children, and an awesome adventure.  >>

With tips like “Spice up dinner and a family-friendly movie,” parents can strengthen bonds within the family, not break their budget, and raise up future global citizens while having fun.

Join the conversation, take these ideas to your PTO, and help bring the world to your children!

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Homa Sabet Tavangar is the author of Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World, hailed a “Best New Parenting Book” by Scholastic Parent + Child, and a Best Education Book of the Decade.  She is the mother of three girls, in grades 2, 10 and 12, host-mother this year to an AFS exchange student, and a volunteer in the public schools where all four attend.