RATIONALE

Current educational research seems to reveal two apparently contradictory findings.  First, parents still have a vital role in the organized and informal educational experiences which children need in order to experience academic success and develop socially acceptable character traits. 

Second, many parents are less likely to engage in the “traditional patterns” of parent involvement which have historically linked children, and families with their schools. 

These two conclusions present a real dilemma for educators and parents.  If these two parties are less likely to meet on their “traditional turf,” then a new and different approach must be found for continuing dialogue and interaction. The need for a unique way to bridge this widening gap is the reason the Greeneville-Greene County Parenting Fair began and, we feel, is the overriding objective for its continuation and growth.