I like how District 150 appears to be upping parental involvement efforts. The success of 1000 Remarkable Guys is a wonderful achievement and was really cute to witness.
Another very cool thing I have noticed about District 150 on the parental involvement front, is the addition of Sandra Burke as a School, Family and Community Liaison/Coordinator.
Sandra serves as a resource for parents that have questions or who might need to be directed to the appropriate sources for information. Information will be shared through the District web site or a parent can contact Sandra here.
Additionally, Sandra will be working with school PTO's and Parent Advisory Committees who will have representatives that meet with her quarterly. By joining a school's PTO, or sitting on a Parent Advisory Committee, parents can have direct input in District 150 schools.
Hmmm... let me see - 1000 Remarkable Guys, PTO, Parent Advisory Committees - just three more ways to put up, or ...
28 comments:
I hope they can do it. Getting the parent's involved can make a world of difference.
A little story... to highlight the problem. My son goes to a parochial school. A neighbor's son goes to a Dist 150 middle school. Both are same age. Both went out for Track at their respective schools.
So the other kid's parent and I are sitting out on the grass at one meet. The other parent asks how many of our school's kids parents show up for these things. I reply, all of them. Really? Yes and for some, the extended family shows up too. For every meet? Yep. For the District 150 school, the other kid's parent was the ONLY one to ever show for the meets they went too. These other kids had no one rooting them on. No one. As is normal at most meets the coaches are busy helping run the thing.
Oh... and our coaches, are all parents, who volunteer their time, energy, and expertise.
If District 150 can get parent's involved, sooo much more is possible.
I should add... there is no way our parochial school could afford to hire the coaches for our athletic teams, or fully supply them with equipment. It is because of parental involvement that it all becomes possible.
It would be wonderful if parents were able to volunteer to coach teams in District 150. In primary school there are NO sports. Again, NO SPORTS through fourth grade, can you believe that?
No basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, baseball - nothing. The most exercise a primary age kid gets through District 150 is maybe recess (if there is enough time in the day) or weekly P.E.
I volunteered to coach volleyball at our school, the Principal never got back to me then retired. I volunteered to coach an after-school tumbling venture at neighborhood school (after I saw children doing flips on concrete). The principal is "getting back to me". The offer was made last year...
I hadn't given the primary school sports activities any thought until now--how sad that these children with so much energy don't have an outlet for physical activity after school, etc. I was surprised to learn recently that Metamora 5th graders have a swim team.
The parochial schools generally begin various competitive athletic programs in the 5th grade.
Sandra did an excellent job in developing the document and structure that will lead to greater parental involvement. The question I have is if we should pay an administrator $80k to shepard the document, or expect the principals to utilize it in the manner that best serves their school; allowing Mrs. Burke to move to the next administrative task?
Correction, Emerge: At Whittier we have had soccer for at least three years (that's how long I have been a coach). It is led by an all-volunteer coaching staff and last year we transformed it into the West Bluff Indoor Soccer Club.
Last year, we fielded 6 teams: A Pre-K/K team, 3 1st/2nd grade teams and 2 3rd/4th grade teams. We play at the Soccer Centre in Peoria Heights from Oct thru April. Whittier allows us to use their gym to practice, but otherwise all costs are borne by parents and donations (last year, Haddads, AMT, John Biehl and Avantis).
Whittier also offered martial arts as an after-school program and may also have had a basketball team.
Chris:
I stand corrected - Whitter is definitely different. Sounds like a wonderful program. Music lessons for Kindergartners, sports, involved parents and students making the grade.
Spread some of that around the District would ya?
Emerge, not sure if this is in all D150 primary schools but my daughters school is pushing a Strive for 5 program. Basically asking that parents attend 5 "school events" with their children during the year. Including last nights back to school night there have been 2 opportunities- registration being the first. A flier that was sent home even mentioned the principal has some free bus passes she can give out to help parents make some of the events.
Emerge: We don't work magic at Whittier, but we are blessed by great parents, great teachers and staff, and great kids. I wish I knew how to duplicate what we do for other schools, but the formula is pretty simple.
Last I checked, we had about 65% of our kids from low-income families, so our success is not the same as Kellar, Charter Oak or Dunlap schools. I imagine that poverty % will go up this year because we've had an influx of former Tyng kids. We are excited about welcoming these new families and children and hope to show that whatever it is we do at Whittier works for everyone.
From a parental involvement standpoing (I'm the president of the PTO), our policy is to just invite people to get involved. We are trying to make that easier this year by having a second PTO meeting during the day each month and also holding some of our meetings at the Proctor Center, which is closer to many of our new families.
We have a long way to go, but we are headed in the right direction. I reject the notion that many of our parents are unconcerned about their children's education. When the Tyng boundaries were redrawn, we saw Southside families (the ones usually saddled with that incorrect and unfortunate label) move into the new Whittier boundaries. If that doesn't mean they are paying attention, I don't know what is.
I know you are active in your child's school. If you ever want to swap notes, give me a ring. I'm in the book.
I am a part of the PTO at Whittier and Chris is great at looking outside the box on how to reach people. This year for the first time since I've been a part of the PTO they decided not to charge $ 5 to join. It is not worth charging if it will discourage any parent from participating.
Chris:
It sounds like the Whittier PTO is doing a wonderful job at outreach. The Proctor Center meetings... good looking out on that one. That's the kind of stuff it's going to take to make a difference.
It sounds like Whittier is using its PTA structure to its advantage. The PTAs at the primary and middle school that my children attended, though well run, focused almost exclusively on funding raising and some on parent outreach.
The PTA group should ideally be a catalyst for change and a liaison between the parents and the principal/administration. I think PTAs should be used to assist the principal in customizing the curriculum and extracurriculars offered at a particular school, based on the desire of the parents and the needs of the students.
It would be ideal if Ms. Burke's position would champion this cause and speak to each PTA, charging them with the authority to be an agent of change. Of course, they always have had this authority, but unlike Whittier, I believe some PTAs don't believe it is within their purview.
MOST PTOs are closed; they are nothing more than cliques. That is what is unique about the Whittier outreach.
With so many students getting waivers to cross boundaries, PTO's are starting to hunker down - the people from the neighborhood vs. the people who are not.
That is how it is at our school. My child is on a waiver. I am not on the PTO; I have been forced to do any significant level of volunteering outside of the PTO, working directly with the Principal and teachers.
I have found that volunteering outside of the PTO has made me even more effective.
That is why the Parent Advisory Committees that each school is setting up will be important, they will be working with Sandra Burke, and they will not be dealing with the clique mentality of the PTO.
Emerge: Sorry I must have not been reading close enough. I was not aware Parent Advisory Committees were being set up at each school. That is a good thing!
I agree, I felt though many of the PTA members were capable at my childrens' schools it was, as you said, more of a socialization mechanism for them, and that no one was interested or willing to push the envelope.
My childrens' primary school was good but could have been so much better -- but the PTA was too busy running bake sales to discuss or consider how parents could encourage the principal to raise the bar and offer more. When I would try to encourage discussion in such areas I just got a glazed look.
I lived within the enclave for my primary school but we transfered to the school and are not long time residents of the area. I got the cold shoulder from some of the establishment as well.
My guess is that many at your school are intimated by your confidence and intelligence. Just keep on fighting!
I obviously know nothing about your school, Emerge, but I can see how a PTO can look and feel like a clique. We do our best at Whittier to reach out, but it is usually the same 20 people over and over again. That's why we dropped the $5 membership fee this year (it only really served as a barrier) and are trying out the second meeting at Proctor Center.
That said, we also make it very clear that there are lots of volunteer opportunities that are not PTO-related. The PTO couldn't possibly create and control every parent-classroom opportunity. Even at Whittier the PTO emphasis is on fundraising (a huge need) and then on larger group activities. We have become more advocacy oriented and were successful in retaining our librarian (in concert with other schools and parents) and getting an extra 2nd Grade teacher this year (our class sizes have exploded).
I would love to see the PTO do more, and am working with our members to make it more of a resource. But the PTO should only ever be one mechanism for involvement and not seek to be all powerful.
Chris
I disagree with the commenter who feels PTO/A's should function at "advisers" to the principals in terms of setting curriculum. MOST parents are able or interested in being involved with the PTO...what would it be like if that select group (clique) started getting involved with policy issues? Yikes.
When I was president of my kids'PTO I focused on increasing parent involvement and helping to bridge funding gaps.
MOST parents are NOT able, that is.
Rixblix - I simply meant that one aspect of the PTA should be to communicate the desires of the parent body for change.
For example there were many parents that were "frustrated" with the curriculum offered at my children's primary school and wanted to see it stepped up. Also many wanted to have a foreign language offered. Individual parents met separately with the principal but their desires were never seriously recognized. If the PTA would have spoken to the principal with one voice, maybe more action would have been taken.
How, as a parent, do you advocate for fundamental changes to the curriculum and BE HEARD??
Concerns could surely be communicated through the PTA/O. However, because of inequities that exist between buildings it would not be appropriate for PTO/A's to guide curriculum issues. School Improvement Committees and Advisory Boards are (in my opinion) the more appropriate place for these kinds of issues. "Fundamental" changes need to be addressed district-wide, not within individual buildings. Micromanagement...bleh.
Rixblix - I totally disagree that "fundamental changes need to be addressed district-wide, not within individual buildings." Dist. 150 has a varied and diverse learning population. What is a good fit for one primary school is not necessarily the right program for another.
In 150 The questions of uniforms went to PTO's, who voted on it and the policy was changed. Parents who did not attend the PTO meetings did not know they could actually have a vote on uniforms. Now we are all straddled with uniforms whether we can afford them or not.
I have seen Administration use PTOs whenever they wanted quick answers. This practice is not fair to parents who do not attend PTO meetings. However, is very powerful for a clique to have that kind of input that will effect all of our children.
Emerge, that's exactly my point, exactly. The core group of individuals who are active within the PTOs is not necessarily representative of the student population. I choose not to be involved with my kids PTO right now, but I would be happy to participate on an advisory committee. I'm very much over the clique-i-ness of PTOs
Well, you all might be right. In my theoretical PTO scheme, I envisioned a broadminded group of PTO volunteers working in an environment in which it was understood that the PTO was there for all at their school. A group that with one voice would represent the interests of parents and students at a particular school, not a posse of a few making decisions for all.
Have you ever been to a PTO meeting?? It's like lunch at the popular girls' table in 8th grade all over again! (At least that was my experience in the two districts and several schools I attended meetings in!) ;)
Totally!!
Funny! Yes, I have been to several PTO meetings and I admit I didn't fit in, mainly because I wanted to focus on larger issues than who got to run the bake sale.
I recently complained to the principal about the quality of a science teacher (not at Dist. 150) and was politely brushed off. Not until I continued to push and got others to come forward and do the same, was the problem even remotely acknowledged by the admin. Sometimes to be heard you have to have a critical mass, otherwise, an individual parent is just dismissed as a complainer.
Be it the PTO or some other organized group, if a school wants parents to become engaged and be part of the process, then there must be something built into the system that facilitates a two-way communication flow, so parents don’t feel so disenfranchised.
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