Outreach to Latino Families (continued)

The problem with communication ... is the illusion that it has been accomplished. George Bernard Shaw

About four weeks ago I reported on an incident at a PTA conference:

One incident stays with me. I had made a comment to the group at large about sensitivity to families that held two or more jobs, single parent homes and families that spoke a language other than English. At the end of the session quite a few participants came up to me to ask for contact information and also to ask questions. A Latina local PTA officer asked me about Spanish speaking mothers who she would see on campus joining their children for lunch or taking their children to school and picking them up in the afternoon, but she would not see them at PTA meetings. Yet they didn't seem to be easily accessible for her to invite to participate.

I counseled that she establish a relationship with them, initially just greeting and asking how their family was doing...how their children were doing in school. I advised that she hold back on recruiting them to be school volunteers or to become PTA members.
I said: Instead of approaching them with a 'sales pitch' become an acquaintance, concerned about the education of their children, and eventually a trusted friend. I peppered my conversation with Spanish and gave snippets of how I establish that kind of relationship with the families I come in contact with. She didn't speak much Spanish with me but clearly understood everything I said. Even if her Spanish was not as strong as her own parents', she obviously had enough facility with the language to communicate with the parents she wanted to connect with on her campus.
"Buenos días señora ¿como esta? ¿Como están los niños? (Good morning, ma'am, how are you? How are the children?).
I continued: As you establish these 'qualitative' relationships, then you can identify the 'live wires', the ones that are centers of communication within their own social circles. As each of these "emerging leaders" becomes an active participant, volunteer and PTA member, (and in time, if you persist, they will) she will bring others with her and also take information to many who might not ever attend a PTA meeting but are acutely interested in the education of their children and want the information the school can offer through these 'intermediaries'."

New incident, different cast of characters, same lesson:Last week I was conducting training of trainers in south Texas for a group of parent involvement specialists. On the day that I was setting up for the training, I visited a large room, very welcoming with smiling hosts, flowers and many service providers awaiting parents to come in and select supplemental education services for their children. The coordinator told me that over 1500 packages of information had been sent to families that qualified for the services.
The next day I asked how many showed up. Response: less than twenty. The frowns and under-the-breath comments seemed to blame the families. The coordinator told me she didn't know what to do because she had done what the state agency required: that each family receive a complete list of all the service providers.

What was learned? To me it is obvious. Most families, across class, ethnicity, language and neighborhood will not pay much attention to a large, multi-page mailing.

If only 50 families had been contacted personally and explained what was available, there would have been far better results.

It seems that personal, intentional outreach is still too difficult a task.

I certainly have my work cut out for me, as a director of a Parent Information Resource Center. In Texas!

Public Moneys for Public Schools

My organization, the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) was started by Dr. Jose A. Cardenas precisely, and that time, solely, because of the unjust and inequitable funding of public schools in Texas. From 1973 to the present it's been a mixed metaphor road: bumpy, roller-coaster, one-step-forward-two-back, uphill climb. Currently, in Texas, we are sliding back on the path -- moving toward inequitable funding of our public schools -- schools where the majority of the poor, African American and Latino students are -- have less relative and absolute resources than those where the wealthiest attend. Given the total economic wealth of Texas, we are penny-pinchers with our public schools. The efforts of 10% of the schools (the wealthiest) were able to label (stigmatize) our (IDRA's and allies) laudable efforts as a 'robin hood plan'. In effect they acknowledged that our premise for funding schools through property wealth is a few rich/many poor dichotomy that should stay in place. One statement I'll never forget, and this from a friend whose children attended a property-wealth school district, "Why put good money into 'those' schools...it's putting good money on bad. It's a bottomless pit!"
In a recent conversation with a semi-retired Texas PTA and past National leader I brought up the possibility of the PTA being a vehicle for causing the people of Texas to have the public will to fund the schools that all of our children need and deserve. She responded: Hardly likely because it brings up the specter of state income tax!
The majority of voters in Texas have bought into the "tax relief" scam which says, 'be selfish because the common good doesn't affect you'. Yet the great demographer, and current head of our national census bureau, Steve Murdock, has been reminding policy-makers and the business community (for many years): if we don't invest in our children and our schools, we won't have much of an economy to speak of in the next generation.

IDRA addresses many more issues beyond school funding in its mission to create schools that work for all children. We nevertheless continue to keep the state conscious of its responsibility to provide the resources to all public schools so that all of our children have access to the best that public education can offer.

A friend and great columnist in San Antonio wrote a great piece some years ago that still applies. I'm dropping it in here, with full credit given to Carlos Guerra, who has been battling for justice and equality for a long time. We are both advancing in age. I can't get the link to work, probably because of the time gone by and my tech limitations.
A kid in college surfaces real issues around school vouchers
My only child was born in 1986, on my best Valentine's Day ever. On Wednesday, Alexa flew to New York to attend Columbia, the only university to which she applied.
Over 18 wondrous years, the quiet, studious child blossomed into a lovely young woman, self-disciplined and addicted to learning. She struggled at times but wouldn't quit, and she won my undying admiration by doggedly acing the hard sciences and advanced math she doesn't enjoy.
Genetics? I wish! In fact, when she was named a merit scholar, we joked that considering my grades, genetic testing might be in order.
I credit many factors to her success. She got a lot of mental stimulation early on, and we read regularly to her even before she could speak. And after her mother and I broke up, we both continued to pay close attention to her schooling and helped her over the rough spots.
As an infant, Alexa went to carefully chosen child-care environments. Later, she attended three private schools of differing educational philosophies, each chosen to assure that she would get individualized attention from caring, competent teachers, and rigorously challenging academics.
Her last five years were at Keystone School, well known for its demanding academic offerings that are rounded out with good programs in the arts and athletics.
Learning that my daughter studied at private schools, some readers have asked if I believe that all children should have such opportunities. I always answer with a resounding yes, but I do not support school vouchers.
Alexa did not excel simply by attending private schools. It took a lot of sacrifice, but what she benefited from was our ability to pay the high tuition costs of her exceptional schooling, which in high school was almost twice the sum spent on the average Texas public school student. The high tuition paid for classes small enough to give caring teachers the time to take special interest in each child; tiny staffs of administrators more focused on their products — well-educated kids — than their power; good physical facilities, and the teaching materials indispensable to providing real education.
Over 15 years, the only standardized tests Alexa took were diagnostic exams that compared her progress with that of students nationally, some exams required for admission to her high school and, of course, her college entrance exams.
Yes, all kids should get such opportunities, but let's not forget that caring, attentive parents can't be guaranteed, especially when they must juggle several low-wage jobs just to put food on the table.
Let's also remember that most private schools turn away kids with special needs, learning disabilities and discipline problems.
Finally, let's understand that the most generous voucher proposals would pay less than $4,000 annually per child.
Believe me, I would have loved such help. But Alexa's education still would have cost $8,000 more per year, and I have only one child.
Vouchers may sound great, but I worry that for each child that goes to private schools they will take $4,000 away from public schools, which then could become warehouses full of the costliest kids to educate.
I also fear that all those $4,000 checks will spawn "voucher mills," not unlike Texas' failed charter schools that were operated by scammers more interested in pocketing taxpayers' dollars than in educating kids for the 21st century.
Let's do what is right for schools. Cadillac schooling can't be had by making Yugo payments.
Carlos Guerra: A kid in college surfaces real issues around school vouchers
Web Posted: 08/29/2004 12:00 AM CDT San Antonio Express-News
Thank you Carlos.

Latino Father Initiatives

The Colorado PIRC team presented their exciting work with families and highlighted their PADRES project. This reminded me that I really want to pull together information about what is happening all over this country to support, encourage, validate and uplift the Latino, Mexicano, Boricua, Centro y Sur Americano, Chicano, Hispano, Hispano-Parlante, Recien-imigrado, Nicaraguense, Domingueno, Peruano, Boliviano, etc. etc. etc. men.


I know that there has been great work done for several decades on the West coast but I lost track of what is going on. So, if anyone reading this has any information, especially contact info, on anyone, any group, any organization that is doing work in this area could you give me a grito?

Gracias. Thanks. Molto ombligado.

Parents Mentoring Parents

My colleague Frances Guzman and I just returned from conducting a half-day workshop with a small group of parent liaisons in one of the local school districts in San Antonio TX.

The project is in its 3rd year and is a pilot project sponsored by the local United Way agency as part of its efforts to address root causes of community issues. The program has recruited ladies from the neighborhoods (barrios) to become outreach workers and energizers for parent involvement. One result that this program has had is that there was district-wide customer-service training of the personnel that work at the principal's offices of the school campuses. This came from the documented finding of this project that many families were being treated with less than civilly or politely than any family merits.
This project has been influenced by other efforts of 'promotoras' happening in different communities and with other agencies, such as health providers and social service agencies.
The goal is not just a more personal outreach and communication with families, but a direction away from the 'social service' model provided by a social worker, but a collective move to address needs in the community through information networks and the encouraging of mutual help and initiative among families.
In this setting, these school based outreach workers are now being challenged to pass on what they have learned and what they are doing. As each connects with families, they will each begin to identify those emerging leaders that can take on supportive and counseling roles with their neightbors and peers.
It was a marvelous opportunity to see the intelligence and problem-solving capability of the individuals in the group and also the group collaboration and cohesion.
I'm dropping the basic agenda and task sheet in here. It illustrates how bilingual we have to be, and is an echo of the actual bilingual, constantly code-switching approach we used. They had a translator with earphones for the participants and it began that way, but since I was doing constant translation and jumping from Spanish to English, he came up and told me that his services really weren't needed and I thanked him profusely because he was such a competent and polite young man. Most of us in my organization that are bilingual actually model this approach, many times without the blessings of the sponsors who tell us that it takes twice as long if we do contsant translation as presenters. My feeling is that the earphones cut-off real communication and that the live interaction is much more powerful, even if there is somewhat less information presented. It's the interaction, communication, dialogue, problem-solving and critical conversations that give the session the 'chilito' the spice. One parent told me afterwards that

she absorbed much more without the earphones and that she had copious notes from
the previous sessions but had retained much less information even though
everything presented in English had been translated for her through the
earphones

This is a complex issue that requires more conversation. It also requires enough bilingual presenters willing to take the risk in doing it this way.

So here's the agenda/task sheets.



Mentoring Leaders in Education
ORIENTANDO LÍDERES DENTRO DE LA EDUCACIÓN

Objectives:

To analyze the role of mentoring in leadership development
Analizar el papel de ser mentor en el desarrollo de líderes

To prioritize those aspects of leadership that mentors should focus on
Darle prioridad a los aspectos de ser líder en cuales los mentores deben enfocar

To list the observable outcomes of effective mentoring
Hacer lista de los resultados observables cuando los mentores tienen efecto positivo

To experience the critical aspects of communication to being an effective mentor
Tener una experiencia de los aspectos de comunicación críticos para ser mentor efectivo

To conduct a personal diagnosis of strengths as a mentor and areas that need improvement
Conducir un diagnosis personal de las cualidades positivas como mentor y las áreas que se necesitan mejorar


Agenda

The Role of Mentor
EL PAPEL DE ORIENTADOR

Leader Role Priorities
PRIORIDADES DEL PAPEL DEL LÍDER

Observable Outcomes
RESULTADOS OBSERVABLES

Mentor Communication
LA COMUNICACIÓN DEL ORIENTADOR

Personal Contract
CONTRATO PERSONAL

Warm-up/Rompehielos

Answer the following questions and share the information with your small group.

A mentor is a guide, an advisor and someone who elicits trust.
Un mentor es un guía, un consejero y alguien que inspira confianza.

What is one quality that makes you a good guide?
¿Que es una calidad que lo hace un buen guía?

What is one quality that makes you a good counselor?
¿Que es una calidad que lo hace un buen consejero?

What is one way that you inspire trust and confidence from others?
¿Cual es una manera en que usted inspira confianza en otros?



When everyone in your group has shared, as a group, make a drawing without any words that represents all the positive qualities that you have shared. Everyone has to help with the drawing. Select a person to report on your drawing.
Cuando todos en su grupo hayan compartido sus respuestas a las preguntas, dibujen una representación sin palabras de todas las cualidades positivas que compartieron. Todos tienen que ayudar con el dibujo. Escojan una persona para que de un reporte sobre el dibujo.

The Role of Mentoring In Leadership Development
EL PAPEL DE SER MENTOR EN EL DESARROLLO DE LÍDERES

If I am a mentor to someone who I hope becomes a leader,
Si yo soy mentor para alguien quien yo espero será un líder,


Then my role as a guide is to…
Entonces mí papel como guía es de…

Then my role as an advisor is to…
Entonces mí papel como consejero es de…


Then I must gain their trust by…
Entonces tengo que ganarme su confianza con…






From this list of roles and responsibilities of leadership, select the five most important for mentors to focus on.
De esta lista de papeles y responsabilidades de ser líder escojan las cinco mas importantes para enfocar como mentores.

Roles of Leadership (Just English included here)


Advisor Listens with interest; assimilates information; uses non-directional techniques to bring more information to surface and build relationship of trust; resists impulse to rush in with answers.

Advocate Clarifies and defines problem; focuses attention and action; speaks for and defends the need for change.

Catalyst Sparks and energizes process of change; generates interest, involvement, participation.

Insider Represents and promotes change within an institution/organization; diffuses understanding and positive attitude.

Interface Works to improve relations between interacting groups; diplomat.

Problem-solver/Solution-giver Meets needs with resources and ideas; has appropriate, feasible suggestions addressing needs and problems; knows when and how to present them.

Process-helper Trains and (or) assists groups in working together to analyze problems/needs, find resources, define roles, map path to change and monitor progress.

Resource linker Connects with community organizations, agencies, units of government and human services, and the private sector; works to bring them into effective collaboration with the target group or organization.

Spokesperson Champions issues; speaks well of and for the group; makes effective and articulate presentations; defends need for change.

Supporter Balances need to move toward change (risky and threatening to many) with encouragement and nurturing of individuals engaged in it.

Team member Directs/serves on team initiating change.



Observable Outcomes of Effective Mentoring
RESULTADOS OBSERVABLES QUE INDICAN QUE LOS MENTORES TUVIERON EFECTO


Make a personal list of things you can see or observe that show and indicate that the guidance a person has received has been effective.
Haga una lista personal de cosas que se pueden ver o observar que son indicaciones que la orientación que la persona ha recibido ha sido efectiva.

Listening/Escuchando

Talking/Hablando

Observing/Observando


Personal Contract/ Contrato personal

The session was highly participatory and the participants gave very high marks to the session. This was the last of a series of training sessions that were held this summer. The staff overseeing the program will be identifying what the critical aspects of the content and process of this professional approach are needed to expand the project to a whole school district beyond the eight campuses participating now.

From Jane Beach at Parents for Public Schools (PPS)

Jane Beach puts these very informative links together very often. There is always good information.

August 15, 2008
(Some links are time-sensitive and may change or expire.
If you unable to access a link, contact the PPS Clearinghouse for assistance.
Remember to check for copyright guidelines from individual resources.)



THIS WEEK'S TOPICS INCLUDE:
Parent involvement
Public opinion of public schools
Vouchers
Middle school students
Expanded school schedule




The Overall Benefit of Parent Involvement in Education
A recent Science Daily article describes a study of parent involvement conducted by an economist at the University of New Hampshire and her colleague from a research consulting firm. Their findings, which frame parent involvement in terms of school-level economic benefits, confirm the positive association between parent involvement and student academic outcomes.


SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS - A new opinion poll by Harvard University indicates that the public has a more critical view of public schools and many reforms designed to improve them, compared to a similar survey last year. Support for No Child Left Behind has slipped and a considerable portion of those surveyed remain undecided about charter schools.
http://www.ecs.org/00CN4012



Parents must have choices on their children's education
Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA, USA
Instead of worrying about what would happen to the public schools if vouchers were available, the moral question to ask is, what will happen to children ...


FOR NEW TEACHERS: THE ORGANIZED MIDDLE SCHOOLER NOTE: good tips for parents also!
http://snipurl.com/organized_ms
Little wonder new middle schoolers are so disorganized, wrote Laurie Wasserman in this 2007 "Teaching Secrets" essay at the Teacher Magazine website. Most "have spent their first five years of school with a single teacher for the majority of the day." When they enter middle school "they are given a combination lock, a hallway locker, a homeroom, and a schedule that often has four or more subject-area teachers...This is where the child with significant organizational challenges becomes both overwhelmed and frustrated." Wasserman, a sixth grade special ed teacher who works with ADD/ADHD students, offers some ideas for building an "organized" middle schooler. (We're recycling this resource with all our new-teacher subscribers in mind. Teacher Magazine will begin a new series of "Secrets" next week. Meanwhile you can find more 2007 articles at our new-teacher page: http://snipurl.com/NewTeacherResources)



EXPANDED LEARNING - Two reports by the Center for American Progress explore expanded learning time for students. One report examines more than 300 extended learning initiatives in high-poverty and high-minority schools and districts. The other provides a framework for policymakers and practitioners to identify the key cost components involved in expanding learning time for schools.
http://www.ecs.org/00CN4011



Jane Beach
Clearinghouse Director
Parents for Public Schools, Inc.
200 N. Congress St - 5th Floor
(p) 601/969-6936
(f) 601/969-6041
800/880-1222
www.parents4publicschools.org

All I can add is, thank you Jane and thank you PPS.

Evaluating Committee Work at National PTA

I've served on many committees, chaired some, and have mixed feelings about the work of committees and my own contribution and effectiveness as a member.
We had a very useful after-dinner session on the roles and effectiveness of committees, but more importantly, on how to evaluate yourself and the committee as a whole...how to hold yourself and your colleagues in the group accountable.

There were sample committee meeting evaluations, and checklists and even ways to organize the work of the committee in a format that clarifies tasks and responsibilities.

It was a good way to prepare for tomorrow, a day of committee meetings, each with awesome responsibilities with this venerable, old and challenged organization, the national PTA.

Nevertheless, as a newby to PTA, (two + years is new when I'm surrounded by grandparents that began in PTA when their child entered elementary school) my interest and my commitment is still with the quote from my campaign speech:

We in PTA still have a way to go in bringing on board those millions of parents whose children are in public schools and who depend on public education to realize the American dream. Nevertheless PTA is the organization, and the PTA members are the people, who have the history and the power for the dream of this democracy to become a reality for all of our children

PTA All Committees Weekend

We in PTA still have a way to go in bringing on board those millions of parents whose children are in public schools and who depend on public education to realize the American dream. NeverthelessPTA is the organization, and the PTA members are the people, who have the history and the power for the dream of this democracy to become a reality for all of our children

I'll be in Chicago this weekend for the Membership Committee meeting, officially my first with this group. I've been on the Diversity and Finance committees. I was originally appointed to the National PTA board and now I am an elected member. This is no small thing because, (A) I do not come from the PTA ranks, (B) I'm not PTA polite: in fact diplomacy and politeness are not my strong suites, and (C) In my 40 years of education activism and 30+ in advocating for parent leadership in public education from the poor/minority/non-English-speaking/recent-immigrant communities I had not seen PTA as a natural ally.

BUT, WAIT, SLOW DOWN
and now let me drop in my campaign blurg...

Rooted in Advocacy Reared in Laredo, TX and growing up fluent in Spanish and English, Aurelio began his career as a public high school English teacher in San Felipe High School in Del Rio, Texas in 1964 and has been an activist for equitable schools since then. He continues to advocate for excellent and equitable public schools for all children, specially those that are economically disadvantaged, are of color or speak a language other than English. (For friends who are challenged in pronouncing his first name, one English speaker offered the following: Oh? Really? Oh!)
Professionally Skilled Aurelio is a senior education associate and master trainer with the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA). IDRA is in its 35th year of advocacy for schools that work for all children. He is the lead developer of the organization’s Family Leadership in Education Model. His four-decade professional career has been a mission driven journey in education as teacher, community organizer, curriculum developer, master trainer, and for the last 30 years at IDRA, as an advocate for parent leadership in education. He developed a fully bilingual training-of-trainers model, WOW Workshop on Workshops for educators and parents. Over 200 emerging parent leaders, many who are English-language learners, have participated in that course alone.
Proven Leadership In over 8 years of directing a statewide federally funded Parent Information and Resource Center, Aurelio has led hundreds of workshops, written many articles, participated in conferences and colloquiums and disseminated thousands of pieces of information on Parent Leadership in Education. In 2007 he wrote monthly articles related to parent involvement and No Child Left Behind. Under his leadership, the Texas IDRA PIRC was honored last year as one of five in the nation whose practices and processes were considered exemplary in a Department of Education publication Engaging Parents in Education: Lessons From Five Parental Information and Resource Centers.
Board Experience In the summer of 2006 he was named to the National PTA board as a member-at-large and served on the Diversity Committee. This year he is part of the Finance Committee. He is a member of the Horace Mann M.S. PTA in San Antonio. He is also on the national board for Parents for Public Schools (PPS).
Persistence His strongest recommendation is persistence (40+ years) in advocacy for excellent public schools for all children, and in that battle, supporting parents as the central and strongest advocates for all children to get an excellent and equitable education. Beyond all the training, writing and program development and evaluation he has done, his most cherished skill is the loud and persistent voice for families and children; especially those who most need the benefits and blessings of an accessible, high quality and equitable public education. Graduation for All!
PTA Challenge We in PTA still have a way to go in bringing on board those millions of parents whose children are in public schools and who depend on public education to realize the American dream. Many of the families and schools Aurelio works with in Texas don’t see PTA as a necessary and critical part of their children achieving that dream.
PTA Answer Yet, he believes that PTA is the organization, and the PTA members are the people, who have the history and the power for the dream of this democracy to become a reality for all of our children.

I didn't put my campaign brochure in here to brag. In fact, it was very difficult to run for office because I don't like having to sell myself in that way. The last time I ran for office was in 1959 -- student council parliamentarian -- and I won! I swore never again.
I was encouraged by colleagues, co-workers and friends to run so that the advocacy issues that are important to us would continue to have a national arena and platform.

In my 2-minute speech, and at the convention much hinges on the speech if you are not known to the troops, I chose not to speak much about my qualifications, but rather about the issues I consider important. My emotions got the better of me when I spoke. See my speech notes below:

Buenas Tardes.
I’ve been a teacher since 1964…and have had to reeducate myself constantly.
In the late 60s I realized how my formal education had not taught me to value my community.

20 years later parents reeducated me about communication from school: I asked, “Has school contacted you this year?” one lady responded, “Este año no me han llamado, gracias a dios” They haven’t called me this year, thank God.

Children, their parents and schools! This is the bedrock of PTA’s amazing history.
Over a year ago, I was privileged to walk through the early history of PTA with former national president Lois Jean White. PTA’s courage and valor is needed now!
We need the heft to uplift and defend our Title 1 schools, not-meeting- AYP !

…To provide excellent schools to families hanging on by a thin economic thread.
These families might never be PTA polite nor learn Robert’s rules of order,
yet they’ll continue to tell their children
“educate para que no sufras lo que sufri yo”
get an education so that you don’t suffer what I have gone through.

PTA must persist in creating a public will for equitable funding for all public schools.

PTA must keep schools accountable without penalizing the students and burning out our best teachers…

PTA is the organization, and we are the people who have the history and the power for this American dream to be the reality for all of our children.

Just as the teachers in Appalachia acknowledged the culture of poor white families and created Foxfire…

And as Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta encouraged farmworkers and created a union …

As Bob Moses believes that all children can learn math and created the Algebra Project

as Alice McClellan Birney, Phoebe Apperson Hearst…as Selena Sloan Butler advocated for children and families

So we must welcome and become relevant
to the millions of potential PTA members in our communities…
who in their hearts dream “todo nino, una voz” every child one voice…

Let their dreams lead our actions.

I was elected along with my other colleagues on the proposed slate.
Now I've got to really work hard to make sure that the membership of the public school families that are from the poor/minority/non-English-speaking/recent-immigrant communities increases 100fold.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
We will be moved.
Venceremos.
The torch will be passed on.

Parents for Public Schools (PPS) repeated

I put this up last week and am repeating it because some new visitors might not look at previous blogs. New PPS members are joining our newly formed LinkedIn/Google group and I want them to see this blog up front.

Years ago I met members of a school advocacy group and respected them as good, progressive advocates for public schools but I didn't really know their history. What I eventually learned deeply moved me. This organization is rooted in the courageous civil rights and social justice movement. In the sixties there was white flight to private schools to avoid the mixing of white with black students in the public schools. As schools were forced to integrate, a group of white families in Jackson, Mississippi decided to keep their children in the public schools and to support integrated public schools. And that's how Parents for Public Schools (PPS) was born.

I need to create some space after that last sentence. I need to reread it. Sometimes activist people of color, as I have been most of my adult life, tend to forget that there are strong and persistent allies, and we need to acknowledge, celebrate and support them. Our public schools were then, and continue to be, the one institution where democracy has a chance to be nurtured and developed. If we cull and separate the beautiful mix of students coming to our schools, we fertilize the seeds of elitism, classism and racism. Challenged as many of our public schools are, and tempting as other choices might be for some, we must create and support the public will to put the resources into our public school system to have world class classes and schools. We must have schools of excellence in every neighborhood, inner city and rural town rather than dangle a few choice exceptions to the many puzzled and beleaguered poor families...

My soap box is always close by.

Anyway, back to PPS: Parents for Public Schools continues to be a strong advocate for excellent public schools for all children. They just came out with a new website. Full disclosure: I'm on the national board and am one of the oldies in the banner picture. School children would look much better, certainly than this balding oldster, but I bow to the wisdom of the designers.

The PPS new web page says "You are plugging into an important resource for those who value public education and acknowledge its impact on the lives of children and our democracy."

I truly believe that organizations and networks such as these are extremely important and vital to the revitalization and salvation of our public schools. Families organizing, informing themselves and others, testifying, demanding and creating a public will for vibrant and excellent schools are the ones to keep the doors open. We educators are accused of having narrow, selfish goals and rarely show our numbers in the ballot box, and sometimes even vote against our own self interest!

If your community doesn't have a strong advocacy group for public schools, consider starting a Parents for Public Schools chapter.

Excellent Public Schools for ALL Children

Announcing the start-up of a new Google group that is also a LinkedIn connection:

Excellent Public Schools for ALL Children

The purpose of the site is to create a network of advocates for children to have the best possible neighborhood public schools - especially for families that are poor, of color, English learners and/or recent immigrants.

The welcome message at the site:

Bienvenidos and welcome. If you are here, it is because you have a magnificent vision about what our children deserve and are capable of. You believe and act upon the belief that all children merit the best possible schools.
We are advocates for our public schools as the sites where democracy has a chance to be nurtured and developed. If we cull and separate the beautiful mix of students coming to our schools, we fertilize the seeds of elitism, classism and racism. Challenged as many of our public schools are, and tempting as other choices might be for some, we must create and support the public will to put the resources into our public school system to have world class classes and schools. We must have schools of excellence in every neighborhood, inner city and rural town rather than dangle a few choice exceptions to the many puzzled and beleaguered poor families.

If you are interested in participating, let us know. Membership is carefully screened for anti-public school fleas.

The google site address is:http://groups.google.com/group/excellent-public-schools-for-all-children?hl=en
My gmail address: aureliom08@gmail.com
Send me a note if you are interested, and especially if you are already an activist/advocate.

Welcome, again, 3rd time

Since I'm at 500+ on linked in, I'm going to welcome new people for the third time. I'm new to all this so it'll take a while to get it all functioning. The google dialogue is picking up and more people are giving opinions.

This blog, my maiden voyage into a public journal is an invitation to an online dialogue with others interested in supporting the educational leadership of all families, especially those that are blue-collar, poor, minority, or speak a language other than English. One key premise for me: public schools must flourish. I do not wish to debate that. I champion excellent public schools for all children and equitable resources for public schools; I expect excellent teachers and curriculum for all students.
I'm especially concerned about the schools where economically disadvantaged students predominate (Title 1 schools) and need support for all students to succeed academically. I envision schools where students are prepared for access and success in higher education. I also see it necessary to encourage parent leadership to collaborate with schools and accelerate the movement toward schools work for all children.

Public schools are the first and last venue to keep democracy alive and vibrant and to make the American dream real for families who expect education to provide a future for their children that is better than what they (the parents) have had.

My organization, the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) has advocated for excellent public schools for all children for over 35 years. I am the lead (point person) for parent involvement within my organization. I have been working with schools and organizations on these issues, and have written articles, recorded podcasts and continue to train, speak and advocate for parent leadership in education. I am currently on the National PTA board and also on the national board of Parents for Public Schools (PPS).


I'll be posting specific ideas, concerns and questions.

Parents for Public Schools

Years ago I met members of a school advocacy group and respected them as good, progressive advocates for public schools but I didn't really know their history. What I eventually learned deeply moved me. This organization is rooted in the courageous civil rights and social justice movement. In the sixties there was white flight to private schools to avoid the mixing of white with black students in the public schools. As schools were forced to integrate, a group of white families in Jackson, Mississippi decided to keep their children in the public schools and to support integrated public schools. And that's how Parents for Public Schools (PPS) was born.

I need to create some space after that last sentence. I need to reread it. Sometimes activist people of color, as I have been most of my adult life, tend to forget that there are strong and persistent allies, and we need to acknowledge, celebrate and support them. Our public schools were then, and continue to be, the one institution where democracy has a chance to be nurtured and developed. If we cull and separate the beautiful mix of students coming to our schools, we fertilize the seeds of elitism, classism and racism. Challenged as many of our public schools are, and tempting as other choices might be for some, we must create and support the public will to put the resources into our public school system to have world class classes and schools. We must have schools of excellence in every neighborhood, inner city and rural town rather than dangle a few choice exceptions to the many puzzled and beleaguered poor families...

My soap box is always close by.

Anyway, back to PPS: Parents for Public Schools continues to be a strong advocate for excellent public schools for all children. They just came out with a new website. Full disclosure: I'm on the national board and am one of the oldies in the banner picture. School children would look much better, certainly than this balding oldster, but I bow to the wisdom of the designers.

The PPS new web page says "You are plugging into an important resource for those who value public education and acknowledge its impact on the lives of children and our democracy."

I truly believe that organizations and networks such as these are extremely important and vital to the revitalization and salvation of our public schools. Families organizing, informing themselves and others, testifying, demanding and creating a public will for vibrant and excellent schools are the ones to keep the doors open. We educators are accused of having narrow, selfish goals and rarely show our numbers in the ballot box, and sometimes even vote against our own self interest!

If your community doesn't have a strong advocacy group for public schools, consider starting a Parents for Public Schools chapter.

Learning First Alliance

Learning First Alliance is an interesting network that has a brief online e-newsletter. It's most recent one is Rallying Communities Around Academic Success. You can contact Claus von Zastrow to sign on.

Example of a section:

Visionaries By Claus von Zastrow on August 1, 2008
Since Public School Insights first appeared a few months ago, we've been privileged to interview many inspiring people--leading authors, educators, and advocates--about what it takes to ensure all children the opportunity to succeed in the 21st century.

Now you can browse all of our interviews--25 and counting--on our new "Visionaries" page. Among the people we've interviewed:
Best-selling writers Dave Eggers, Richard Louv, Jon Scieszka, and Dan Pink;
Leading researchers Helen Ladd, James Heckman, Don Deshler and Pedro Noguera;
Celebrated advocates Will Steger, Richard Simmons and Hugh Price; and
A host of outstanding educators. Be sure to take a look.

Podcasts

Check out IDRA's
Classnotes Podcasts, especially those wonderful, witty and pithy ones taped by Aurelio M. Montemayor.

One that we did some months ago is Student and Parent Math Conversations

Parent Teacher Student Dialogs

Below is a condensed version of the opening of a recent article:

A Snapshot of a Dialog --

The Setting: High School Library. Students, parents and teachers grouped around a table at an evening school meeting are asked to answer a question as part of their introductions. The questions, in English and Spanish, are to be answered by each in turn as the group self monitors the conversation allowing everyone to share during the allotted time. The opening questions are:
Student: What is a talent or skill you have (something you are good at doing) that most students and teachers are not aware of?
Parent: What is something you have done as a parent in rearing your child that you are proud of or that you think you have done well?
Teacher: What is something you have done as a teacher that you are proud of or that you think you have done well?
After three rounds of questions, each group has a parent-student pair report to the group at large. Because some of the parents do not speak English and some of the teachers do not speak Spanish, students and bilingual adults translate back and forth ensuring everyone understands.
Results: Witness dialogs among parents, teachers and students as authentic consultation in the spirit of school accountability. Parent-student-teacher dialogs like this can provide an accountability forum for a high school campus that has not been making adequate yearly progress. The catalyst is the campus report that highlights the student scores. The goal is to create a greater consciousness among all with important implications for everyone.
In these conversations, the students report on their classroom experiences, whether succeeding or not, in the targeted subjects. The parents discuss their role and challenges while seeking advice on how to support their children. The teachers give insight into how their job feels and how they are attempting to teach under the current pressures and focus.
No one is blamed or attacked. No quick answers are sought, nor is anyone expected to defend their position. It is an organized conversation where each can hear the other out. The meeting is the confluence of three important goals: effective outreach, new parent leadership and participatory meetings.

In writing the article I did a quick search for the most recent work of the Study Circles, a movement that has great potential. Their website is now http://www.everyday-democracy.org/). I found a fascinating video clip on their work in one community. You can see the Many Voices, One Community video (Lynchburg, Va.) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ahndJnsfHg

Student voices must be part of the conversation, especially with the revisiting of No Child Left Behind and the re-authorization of Title 1 regulations. The students, across the spectrum of grades, participation and school success, must be listened to carefully. They are the ones on whom policy and practice is carried out in our schools. Harried and stressed as teachers are, they at least already have a degree and a profession. Not so for the students, and for those to whom the rules and regulations have been most punitive, there is little hope of completing high school and much less of getting a college degree.