I don't see anything wrong with what room moms or the PTA do, but if parental involvement is defined as
chaperoning field trips
raising funds
organizing in-class parties
buying presents for teachers
it may be forgotten that some parents have informed opinions about curricula and educational practices such ability vs. heterogeneous grouping. I wonder if schools want parental input about substantive mattes.
many times last year i wondered if all this "involvement" was designed to lull parents into a false sense of school-responsiveness and that if, as class mom, i might actually be a pawn in that game.
Look all these events! Look at how many emails we send! Look at everything the school is doing for you! i genuinely did want to be a part of the school community, and at first blush it did
look like a caring, responsive place. given all of this "for-the-students" activity, it came as quite a shock when any discussion about academic adjustments was rebuffed in no uncertain terms - even when my 5 y/o kid sank into a clinical depression. and fwiw, my "status" (ha/whatever) as a class mom bought me exactly nothing.
as far as our experience goes, i think you've hit it right on the head, Bostonian.
