Linda Byrne

As young scholars strap on their backpacks and trek back to classrooms, sympathetic bloggers are trying to capture the flow of emotions that parents feel as the kiddos leave the nest.

When a blogger at washington post.com recently asked readers to share their thoughts on what the first day of school means to them and their children, “Fred” weighed in with the following: “PLD! PLD! PLD! Parents’ Liberation Day at my house. Younger son is in his second week of school.”

Well, Fred, don’t count on the young man delivering the valedictory at his high school graduation.

Why is this so? Research suggests that one of the strongest predictors of student performance is parental expectations. Translation: If you hope little Michael or Missy will make all A’s from kindergarten through high school and win that big scholarship to Yale, you, the parent, will have to chart the course, provide inspiration, oversee homework, laugh and cry with your young scholar and be there every step of the way.

It seems obvious that students perform better when they shine. Indeed, a 1991 study that found at-risk students stay in school longer when they’re successful.

But in today’s competitive environment, that may seem daunting to children constantly pressured to perform. Who better, then, than a parent to guide a young scholar into areas of strength, reinforce small victories that lead to larger accomplishments and channel energy into enthusiasm for learning that’s enduring?

Report card time, if schools still bother, is a report on the parents as well.

Parents’ Liberation Day will come much, much later, when the last college student loan payment has been made.