Dr. Hill Walker's Five Key Parenting Practices

Reprinted with kind permission from the Lincoln Public Schools SPED (Special Education) Parent Newsletter, January 2001

"While Dr. Walker focused on behavioral issues in school settings, he stressed the importance of families, schools, and community members working together."

Hill Walker, author, researcher, and educator recently spoke to Nebraska educators concerning prevention of behavioral disorders. While Dr. Walker focused on behavioral issues in school settings, he stressed the importance of families, schools, and community members working together. When parents and educators address problem behavior consistently, using positive interventions, and early, children are able to develop those skills which allow them to be successful in school and in the community.

Dr. Walker shared five key parenting practices which research has identified as being very important in helping children to develop coping and problem solving skills. These five practices should also be evident in classrooms and schools.

1. Discipline procedures, which are fair, consistent, and predicable. Consequences need to have logical relationship to the behavior. A home example might be when a child breaks or destroys and object. A logical consequence could be repairing that object if possible. An older child might need to replace the object using allowance money or earning money.
   
   
2. Monitoring. Knowing where children are, whom they are with, and when activities are taking place is extremely important. This caring and positive mentoring becomes even more important during adolescence when children naturally are more influenced by their peers and activities could have more risks. The concept of monitoring is also vitally important in schools. A significant percentage of behavior problems can be prevented simply by an adult's presence in the hallways and other common areas.
   
   
3. Parent Involvement. The specific activity is less important than the contact between parent and child, which takes place. An activity that could serve many purposes is a gentle debriefing about the child's school day. Asking what was the best thing that happened during the day and maybe what happened that the child didn't like shows concern and also helps monitor those things that may be more difficult for a child's coping skills. This debriefing can help children see the importance of school and that the parent perceives school as a very valuable activity.
   
   
4. Positive Parenting Techniques. Dr. Walker describes positive parenting techniques as being supportive and encouraging. Using praise and approval and encouraging logical thinking increases positive behavior. Punishment may stop negative behavior for a period of time, but it does not teach new methods of dealing with problems. Schools that rely on positive behavioral supports and interventions in place of punishment see decreases in fights, graffiti, and name calling.
   
   
5. Problem Solving/Conflict Resolution/Crisis Intervention. Responding to even minor crises quickly, fairly and completely shows children how to deal with problems and how to develop alternatives to solve problems. Children whether at home or in school need assistance in problem solving and resolving conflicts even as we help them develop independence in these areas.

Helping children to develop those skills which enable them to be successful and happy in school and in other areas of their lives sometimes takes a team approach. In our busy and sometimes confusing society, children need parents, schools, and the community to be that team.