Conquering the Fear of Flying

Abstract

As a strategy for change, parent involvement stands out as a simple step. But profound parent involvement means sharing leadership - and that, Ms. Nichols-Solomon points out, means sharing knowledge, responsibility, and, most difficult of all, power. THE ROOM just off the main sanctuary would have to do for tonight's meeting. There were a few weathered folding tables of different heights. At least the chairs were all the same size and style. With only two electrical outlets, one at the far end of the room, it became obvious that there were few layout options. In general, it was an adequate space, if a little awkward and uncomfortable. It would have been so much easier if the meeting could have taken place in the school as originally planned. Three days earlier the principal had run into two of the parents in the hallway and used the occasion to inform them that they could not use the building as had been earlier agreed upon. Later, as the parents attempted to relay to the other parents exactly what he had said, they couldn't. The brief meeting with the principal, surrounded by developmentally appropriately noisy students, had been a Kodak moment, much more visual than audible. What they could describe to the other parents was his rigid body language, sparse eye contact, and a partially formed, angry scowl. The image said: I don't trust you. The parents had had to scramble to find a substitute site for the meeting as well as someone to lead the session, since both teachers who had agreed to facilitate had, like the school space, become regrettably unavailable. The setup team, including two grandmothers, was arranging the room. They laid out materials for the grown-ups: sign-in sheets, name tags, copies of the new district standards. For the children who would come in tow, there were activities - and a dictionary, in case someone had to finish homework. Light refreshments for all were arranged on a side table. As they worked, they joked about their situation. Did he think we wouldn't have this meeting? Humph! All that talk about standards, and they won't even let us learn about em. Some kind of partnership! It later came out that the principal did not believe that the parents were meeting to discuss the new standards; he thought they were plotting to get rid of him. The parents had a successful meeting about the new standards. Even though they had had to meet without school personnel, they left the meeting energized and committed both to playing a more important role in their own children's lives and to making a difference for all the students in their school. Building School/Community Partnerships For the last seven years, I have been working in Philadelphia to build partnerships between the schools and the community. The purpose of the partnerships is to give educators what they say they need: help in improving education. My work seeks to galvanize and focus community resources to support the sweeping changes mandated for the Philadelphia Public Schools. It involves facilitating new alliances between schools and key constituencies, including community organizations, institutions of higher education, faith-based institutions, and families. Radical change requires strong, informed, and resourceful partners. Most people believe that schools improve when parents are involved. If you listen in on town meetings with politicians, focus groups with teachers, parent conferences at schools, and leadership opinion polls, the point is always made. Parent involvement is one of the few things in education about which there seems to be universal agreement. In large urban school districts it is considered one of the many musts for improving the academic outcomes for large numbers of mostly low-income African American and Latino students. As a strategy for change - lumped in with such reforms as high standards, small schools, and performance assessment - parent involvement stands out as a simple step. …