Parents, Children, and the New York City public school system
I have now figured out the one major difference between pre-k and first grade: pre-k is advised, but not mandatory- first grade is mandatory. This means that parents have to bother to sign their children up for pre-k and would therefore seem to have some interest in their child's education. If children don't show up for first grade the police get involved. The only parental interest needed in that case is not wanting to deal with the police, and has nothing to do with the child's education or lack thereof. This explains a great deal about the significant lack of parental desire to assist their children or advocate for them. Its really very sad: because the parents can't be bothered, the kids get screwed educationally. More on this subject when I'm more awake.