If you check the District 150 website, it touts the Parent University as something that is "new". The fact of the matter is, Parent University has been around since 2008 and it was brought to the District by Board of Education (BOE) member Martha Ross, who had visited Parent University in other cities.
The first Parent University was held in 2009 at the Civic Center. It was well attended, as it was part of a school fair where parents registered for the upcoming school year and they also received book bags for students. The parents would attend sessions related to issues that they told the Board they were interested in seeing via a survey they filled out - before getting the book bags.
The Distirct 150 Title 1 Director holds the purse for the Parent University, however, it is the input from parents that should drive what sessions are offered. During the Hinton Administration, Sandra Burke was the parent liason and parents were able to give input via Parent Advisory Groups that the District is required by the State to have in every Title 1 school. Each school then sends parents to the district wide Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) quarterly meetings, to help ensure that parents are involved and informed about programs and policies in the school district.
Individuals from the PAC should then be appointed to a BOE sub-committee, where input is to be given directly to the BOE via members who chair the sub-committee. The BOE members who currently co-chair the District 150 Parent Advisory Committee is Martha Ross and Lynn Costic. As Sandra Burke is now retired, the district wide PAC meetings are now led by York Powers (who is new to the area). York is the District's Family & Community Coordinator and works under Rebecca Lindholm, who is the District's Title 1 Director. Although I sit on the District 150 Parent Advisory Committee, I have not been able to obtain any information on whether District wide PAC meetings have been held this year.
Individuals from the PAC should then be appointed to a BOE sub-committee, where input is to be given directly to the BOE via members who chair the sub-committee. The BOE members who currently co-chair the District 150 Parent Advisory Committee is Martha Ross and Lynn Costic. As Sandra Burke is now retired, the district wide PAC meetings are now led by York Powers (who is new to the area). York is the District's Family & Community Coordinator and works under Rebecca Lindholm, who is the District's Title 1 Director. Although I sit on the District 150 Parent Advisory Committee, I have not been able to obtain any information on whether District wide PAC meetings have been held this year.
I attended the first Parent University that was held at Glen Oak Community School. There were about ten (10) parents there, along with a couple of BOE members (one of which seemed to be there mainly to take advantage of the opportunity to pass around her petition to retain her school board seat) and several teachers, who attended to teach sessions.
Marsha Dodson of Empower Parents was the speaker at that event. The Glen Oak Parent University was Mrs. Dodson's second trip to P-Town to speak to parents. Dodson was brought in from San Diego, so it is quite unfortunate that parents did not turn out to take advantage of her expertise.
At the Harrison School Parent University, Dodson gave a thirty minute keynote address and then parents were to spend the remainder of their evening participating in smaller workshops, including:
-Job Readiness (Tri-County Urban League)
-Healthy Eating (American Cancer Society)
-Emergency Preparedness (Peoria County Health Department)
-Legal Services (Prairie State Leagal Services)
-Peoria Promise (Peoria Promise Foundation)
-Housing Assistance (METEC)
-Getting College Ready for Parents (Empowering Parents)
-H.S. Curriculum Fair (Dist. 150)
-Reading Strategies (Dist. 150)
-Testing and Assessments (Dist. 150)
-Gifted Programs (Dist. 150)
-Compass Learning (Dist. 150)
-Primary Math Strategies (Dist. 150)
-Middle School Math Strategies (Dist. 150)
-High School Math Strategies (Dist. 150)
To learn that only five (5) parents came out to the Parent University is unfortunate, because there is some expense in putting these things on. It is also unfortunate that the Parent University seems to have gotten away from the issues that parents revealed in survey that they were most interested in learning about. The photo from the District website, seems to indicate that only one (1) parent showed up for the session that Dodson gave on "Getting College Ready for Parents."
A few of the issues that parents previously indicated they were interested in: how to advocate for your child; how to best communicate with teachers; dealing with issues of bullying; getting teachers involved in parent activities; utilizing parent resource centers and working on computers in resource areas; or support meetings to help parents cope with the “teenage” years, etc.
There are three (3) hubs where Parent Universities are being conducted: Glen Oak Community Learning Center, Harrison Community Learning Center, and Northmoor Primary School. What parents want to see will vary from hub to hub. Surveying parents on their needs most certainly have an impact on turn out. It will be interesting to see what level of workshops will be available to parents who attend the sessions at the Northmoor Primary School hub.
25 Speak on it...:
Not to sound rude but, was food served? I have found in all the years I have talk our "inner city" youth that parents generally only show up if they get free food for the entire family. I have seen groups of 20 people show up at these events for ONE child. Of course they are allowed to go through the food line four or five times even though they are only given 1 coupon each. This is the problem in D150. They give out too many extrinsic rewards and the students as well as their parents won't do anything with out a "pay-off". Whatever happened to doing these things because they are YOUR kids, YOU birthed 'em and YOU need to support them in their education. For crying out loud, you can lead a horse to water, but hey, they want champagne.....
Yes, refreshments are served.
At the Glen Oak Parent University they served soda, chips and cookies.
I don't care if refreshments are served--that's common for many events, not just events in the inner city--and I've seen people who make plenty of money go back for seconds and thirds of free food at events. :)
However, I believe the District should do something to insure that there will actually be an audience for these speakers whose trips to Peoria undoubtedly cost District 150 more money than the cost of some soda, chips, and cookies.
Teachers are asked to call parents for all kinds of reasons. Perhaps board members and/or those in charge of these sessions should issue many very personal invitations to find a way to insure that parents actually come to these expensive events. Otherwise, the same mistake shouldn't be made over and over again. Also, since parents, as Emerge stated, were asked to indicate what kinds of sessions interested them, why would they be expected to come when their wishes have not been taken into consideration.
All the Parent Academies in the world will not change the mindset of some parents in this district. They only want to MAKE babies, they don't want to raise responsible adults. In fact, most of them were junior high drop outs in a generational cycle of handouts. Hey, what a great life, let other people raise your kids while you work a few hours a week and get a free place to live, free Christmas presents for your kids, free medical care, free school supplies, free college education for yourself. I think I'll quit my job and freeload, sounds pretty good, sleep all day, party all night. Yeah, life is GOOD.
"...one of which seemed to be there mainly to take advantage of the opportunity to pass around her petition to retain her school board seat)"
Is that even legal?
Costic and Ross...Aren't those the same two who used District money and went to some convention out in California last year? As for the free food? I remember Manual had an open house and they served free hotdogs and chips with soda. It looked like a Hurricane relief line and must have been over 300 people or even more. I went upstairs to see one of my son's teachers and there was almost no one up there. Many teachers sitting in empty rooms waiting for parents. They saw, they came, they ate, they left.
Emtronics: EXACTLY. Everyone was there for the FOOD, not to see teachers. Maybe if I served them the hot dog in my room, with holding it until they hear my shpeel about their child. They come in 1/2 before it starts, eat and LEAVE without ever talking to anyone about their child. I have had many, many, many parents that I NEVER laid eyes on....I teach elementary. If parents don't care in elementary school, do you really think they will START caring in middle or high school? Just sayin.
So true but real sad.
There are many reasons parents don't show up at schools. Just because they don't does not mean they don't care.
Emerge, that is true. If they hold these meetings always at night, there are parents that do work 2nd & 3rd shift jobs.
So what if food gets parents and families in the door? It's called a carrot. Besides it is in the budget to feed people who attend events in public schools. Parents who work have one less thing to worry about when they rush from their job to meetings at school.
"So what if food gets parents and families in the door?"
Seriously? Parents should not have to be bribed with anything in order to show up at their children's school. It's their responsibility as parents to attend school functions, there is NO excuse as to why at least one parent can not attend a school function for their children.
Lathan's team claim that PBIS is "new". PBIS has been around the District for years
I agree Anonymous. However, it has been proven that some parents need a little more incentive. Every student is not fortunate enough to have adults in their life who will show up just because the school says so.
As a matter of fact, a lot of parents have as much disdain for teachers as teachers appear to have for them. Do you think the students currently in your classroom will grow up to be parents who will look for opportunities to come back to the school with their children?
Sadly. The parents that need to come won't come unless you are handing out blunts or alcohol.
The cynicism about parents truly gets to me. I suppose my situation was so different because so many parents had, also, been my students--I loved seeing them and they seemed to feel the same. Although few parents did show up on open house night, I always enjoyed that evening.
There are many reasons why parents don't show up. I don't think we can discount the fact that many parents feel intimidated by teachers because of a class and education difference (and, yes, race). I think I am being honest when I say that I didn't have those kinds of feelings about parents, and I think they knew it. My worth and their worth as human beings are not dependent on social class or education. Frankly, I do believe that teachers should be willing to work hard to foster that kind of trust and acceptance. Nowadays teachers are asked (actually demanded) to make regular phone calls to parents. Those are opportunities to build trust. I loved talking to parents, but didn't call as often as I should because of time constraints because I found that our conversations were often quite lengthy. One thing that worked for me is that I sent grade sheets home every week, providing my phone number and often gave students some extra credit points (not nearly as important as kids thoughts) if their parents would call me. I know current teachers who encourage phone calls from parents--that does build trust.
I do hear stories from teachers about parents who are exceptionally rude to them, etc. I think it's possible that parents of children at the primary level are very young girls who probably can be rude, etc. I don't know what kind of advice to give to teachers who face these situations--I just didn't have those experiences. However, I still have a hard time believing that every parent-teacher encounter is negative.
Teaching is a people business, and, if teachers are going to teach in an inner city environment, I do believe part of their obligation is to think about some of the struggles that these parents face--some of their own making and some not so much.
I just saw the huge ad in the PJS inviting parents to the Parent University session on January 19. I hope no one on Wisconsin Avenue believes that an ad in the PJS is going to draw parents to the event.
The crack about handing out blunts and alcohol is quite offensive to me--I trust with all my heart that that comment didn't come from a teacher.
The teachers that seem so cynical right now have it in their power to change the trajectory. It would be nice if parents were there, but often they are not. Can we get over that already and move on to where we can go from here?
You can still instill in the students you have before you a love of school and teachers that they won't hate the thought of showing up to a parent/teacher conference (especially since chances are high that the teacher looking down at them now, will still be in the district when they have children).
How do you know, have you tried that?
An employee from Harrison School was just robbed (2:58) by two black males, as she was walking out to her car with boxes.
The Parent University ads were also prominent on pjstar.com. True, the District's biggest clients probably do not take the pjstar in print or on the web.
Now, if they had sent out a mass Facebook alert - they may have reached some people.
Emerge is right; teachers do have it in their power to change the negative perceptions. When I started teaching, teachers were revered. I watched that change. I'm not sure what caused the change. Certainly, I did witness a change in administrative support for teachers--as they are now, they became too worried about their own jobs to concern themselves with supporting teachers. That environment was fostered by central administrators who demanded loyalty from their principals--Dr. Lathan isn't the first to play that game. Principals can't side with teachers--they have to side with central administration even when they know those at the top are wrong.
However, teachers are the ones with the direct contact with parents and students. I can't help but believe that most students (especially at the primary level) love their teachers. I know that the children who come to my house still think their Whittier teachers are great. Teachers need to get parents on their side--an easier task than getting the superintendent's support. :)
When I started teaching, I too, felt supported by my parents and administrators. When holidays came around, watch out, I was inundated with "world's greatest teacher" stuff. Now, my students ask me what I am going to buy them for Christmas. I usually give them each a new box of crayons and glue since I was the original purchaser of their school supplies. When did parents stop supporting us and why? My door is always open and the majority of my parents are fantastic. However, I have parents who I never see, have no working phone, and essentially complain to the principal if I am unavailable to them. What gives? They usually do their complaining(without reason) in front of their children, who freely share this with me during class, like the little girl who told me that her father thought I was "just a cracker". How do I respond to that, given her father just got out of prison.
What age group are you talking about? What does your principal tell the parent who says you are unavailable? The important thing I find in your comment is that "the majority of my parents are fantastic." That's the part that is encouraging. I don't think we can ask for a perfect world. As for the child who called you a cracker--that isn't really a hurtful statement, is it? Does the child know what a "cracker" is? If her father just got out of prison, this child probably has problems that you and I can't even imagine. You might well be the most stable adult in the child's life.
The District 150, in my opinion, is playing games. The second meeting of the month is supposed to be a Committee of the Whole and for such meetings, the audience can speak at the end of the meeting for only two minutes. At regular sessions the audience speaks for 5 minutes at the beginning of the period.
The agenda for tonight's meeting is definitely an agenda for a regular session and on the agenda it is, in fact, called a regular session. On the website it is listed under "Committee of the Whole." My contention is that the format of the meeting does determine the kind of meeting--at tonight's meeting there is a "Consent Agenda for which voting is required--that can't be a Committee of the Whole.
However, even though this is a regular meeting and even though the board voted to have comments for 5 minutes at the beginning, that isn't happening tonight.
Traditionally, regular sessions start at 6:30; Committees of the Whole start at 6:00. The meeting tonight started at 6 p.m.--it is not a Committee of the Whole meeting.
By the way, I didn't go to the meeting--but there were people who showed up for a 6:30 meeting, only to find out that it started at 6 p.m. I heard that some press people had even gone to the board rooms by mistake, instead of Washington. Just keep everyone confused--that seems to be the motto.
P.S.--check out the website Calendar--it says tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. Members of the audience who want to speak have to sign up before the meeting starts.
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